Rise of the Avatar
by Seventh Note
Summary: The Avatar has fallen. The world lives in fear. Nature itself is being torn to pieces. But in the depths of darkness stands a group united against the destruction. They are the last hope of a broken realm. This is their story. Avatar without the TV-Y7.
1. Book 1, Chapter 1: Awakening

Rise of the Avatar

Summary: AU of The Last Airbender. How I envision the show if it hadn't been rated TV-Y7.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Opening Notes: HBO presents Avatar: The Last Airbender, or something like that. All the characters are older and the war is a lot uglier than in the original version. Obviously inspired by the show, but I'm giving my own take on the story.

** Book 1: The Return**

**Chapter 1: Awakening**

* * *

Long ago the world was at peace, and the four nations lived in everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, had a chance of stopping this Armageddon. But he vanished, leaving millions to die. Now the world lives in fear, each person waiting for their time to come, and all we can do is hold onto hope. If we have that much...

* * *

**Katara**

"Damn it Sokka! How long does it take to catch a fish?"  
They had been sitting out there since daybreak, and judging from the angle of the sun it was closing in on noon. 6 hours in a small canoe. Doing nothing.

_This is enough to drive anyone crazy! How incompetent is he_? Katara thought, but said nothing. As much as she hated waiting for Sokka to do whatever it was he did, she hated the idea of having sea prunes for the third day in a row even more.

"I told you! It takes time and patience to fish..." he shot back.  
"...Not that a girl would know." he added smugly.  
Giving him her most disapproving glare, she turned back to the water. Reaching out with her mind she felt the millions of drops of water that made up the bay they were floating in, and with a quick glance back toward her brother _pulled_ the water sharply, moving the canoe backwards and Sokka halfway into the water.

* * *

**Sokka**

Pulling his now soaking wolf-tail over his head, Sokka slowly turned towards his sister.  
"I hope you're happy now," he breathed, filled with anger, "because I had the biggest damn fish I'd ever seen. And now its gone, thanks to your stupid magic water."  
That got the reaction he was looking for, stopping her laughing fit as she sat up.  
"It is not magic, it's an ancient and sacred way of life that's been passed down in our tribe for generations! You need to respect it!"

Sokka rolled his eyes, "So because of your _sacred_ stupid magic water we're having sea prunes again, I'm soaking wet, and we've drifted into the bay. I don't suppose you and the thousands of generations of waterbenders could magic us up a way to get home, could you? Oh, no? That's right, I'm paddling us home. Now shut your mouth and let me work, woman."  
He faced the bow, ready to bring them home and let Katara feel the wrath of the hungry, sea prune filled village when it hit him.  
_I have absolutely no idea where we are._

* * *

"You what?! How far could we have drifted?! Are you that bad at navigating? I can't believe you!"  
"Listen," Sokka snapped, "if it hadn't been for you then we wouldn't be out here in the first place! You and your waterbending have always caused more trouble than good! Just on this trip your little magic trick has cost us food and gotten us lost in the GODDAMN OCEAN! It's never been any help, especially during raids, when we all have to go out of our way to protect you! If bet that if it weren't for you and all the fucking benders in the world, Mom would still be here!"

The last part had slipped out. He knew Katara would do anything to have their Mom back, even give up her bending. He quickly backtracked.

"Katara, I... that came out wrong... I just meant that-"  
"-shut the fuck up." She clenched her fists at her sides, tears running down her face as the waves around them grew larger.  
"Katara, I would never-"  
"I said SHUT UP!" She slammed her hands down.  
The bay swelled upward, lifting the canoe high into the air.  
"Katara!" Sokka yelled. "Calm down!"  
And then she was lucid again, releasing her hold on the water and sitting down in the canoe, tears once again flowing from her face.  
Unfortunately, that left the canoe nowhere to go but down.  
_Shit._

* * *

Picking himself out of the water, Sokka quickly surveyed the situation. The canoe in pieces, it was dark except for some light in the distance, he was wet, and his sister had her back to him.  
"I think we're in a cave." he offered, drawing a pointed glare from Katara.  
"How did you figure that one out, 'oh great detective?'"  
Ignoring his sister's snarky comment, he began to analyze the crash.

"We must have fallen from about 15 feet, which along with the waterfall you made probably brought us underwater. The canoe got smashed on impact and the current carried us away. We're lucky we got washed into this air pocket or we would have drowned. And now we're here."  
_But where's here?_

It was a good question, but irrelevant in the circumstances.  
"We should probably head towards that light, it's our best chance at a way out." he said, tired of fighting with her.  
Katara, still angry at him for the comment about their mother, turned towards the light and started walking.  
"Look Katara, I'm really sorry for what I said earlier." he started  
"There's nothing you can say that will change it, so just shut your mouth and walk, _man_."

Giving up, Sokka focused on the task ahead. He wasn't any stranger to walking long distances, having the role of feeding the village dumped on him when the men left for the war. It was a daunting task, searching for miles on end for something, anything to bring home to the village. A seal-turtle, an arctic hen, caribou-wolf; anything to help feed the village. He usually found something in the wilderness, but he shuddered thinking of the nights filled with hungry faces of the kids who needed him, the kids he'd failed. With the constant threat of the black snow, the animals had moved on, and those nights were less and less a rarity and more the norm.

Something had gone wrong. Something happened during the war that had far reaching effects, even farther than the fire nation could touch with all their armies. Something had been broken, and the world was paying the price.  
_What if someday there's nothing left to bring back?_

Deep in thought, Sokka didn't realize Katara had stopped until he bumped into her.  
"What the hell- oh my..."  
They were looking out over a massive cave, big enough to hold three villages with room to spare. Above them swum huge schools of fish, darting in and out of sight through the ice, shadows flickering across the floor, but something else caught the Katara's attention.

At the end of the cavern, was a glowing orb of ice.  
Inside were the silhouettes of a person and a large animal.

Stunned, Sokka took out his machete, picking at the grip nervously.  
Katara had no such qualms, and leapt into action.

"We have to help him!" She said, grabbing Sokka's seal-turtle club and sliding down the ice towards the glowing figure.  
"Wait! Katara! This might not be a good idea!" he shouted, chasing after her.  
Before long she had reached the ice orb and was bashing it like the damn Avatar was inside.

_ping! ping! ping!_

Containing his anxiety, Sokka looked up at the young man inside the orb. He was seated in the lotus position with his eyes closed, what seemed to be a large mammal behind him.

_ping! ping! ping!_

"Are you sure we should do this?" he asked, nervously eyeing the large beast.

_ping! ping! ping!_

"Of course, what could go wrong?" she said, and swung with all her strength.

_CRUNCH!_

"That." he said, watching incredulously as a series of cracks made their way throughout the cave. It took a falling piece of ice the size of a tent for the situation to click.

The cave was collapsing.

* * *

**Aang**

_ping! ping! CRUNCH!_

He heard it.  
He had awoken.  
He knew it was time.

* * *

**Katara**

The cave was still collapsing, but Katara wasn't paying attention.  
His eyes had opened, pouring light into the room.  
She came face to face with him, looking into the pure white light, the boy in the iceberg.

He blinked.

And all hell broke loose.

* * *

**A/N:Thus concludes chapter one, the start of a long journey. More on the way soon.**


	2. Book 1, Chapter 2: First Contact

**A/N: Thanks for all the positive reviews, I'm going to be churning these out as fast as possible while still trying to keep up the quality.**

* * *

**Book 1: The Return**  
**Chapter 2: First Contact**

* * *

_The young man returned home to find his great grandfather out of bed. _  
_"Bring me outside." It was not a forceful command, but Lee knew better than to argue with his 118 year old relative._  
_The two slowly made their way to the door and onto the porch, where the elder sat down in his rocking chair. Slowly he began to rock, back and forth. Lee turned to the south, wondering why his comatose grandfather had chosen this moment to wake up. In the fading light, the blue flash that crossed the sky shined as bright as day._  
_"Great-Grandpa Kuzon! Did you-" he stopped, watching his elder slowly close his eyes._  
_"He's back." he said._  
_And Kuzon finally rested in peace._

* * *

**Katara**  
Still staring at the entity in the glowing orb of ice, Katara's world seemed to slow down. The falling ice, Sokka's incomprehensible yelling; all that mattered were the glowing eyes looking back at her. She stepped forward, trying to get closer, anything to help this person.

She was brought back to earth by a low rumble in the ice, and looked nervously at Sokka.  
"Get down!" he shouted, tackling her to the ground for protection.  
The two looked up and gasped.

The man was standing, arms held up at his shoulders. With a look towards the siblings, he brought his hands together to his center. Palms facing the ground, he pushed with an invisible force, separating the ice around them from the cave. Fists clenched, he shot his arms upward, rocketing the ice towards the surface of the water and sending Sokka crashing to the ground once more. Struggling to her feet, Katara started to make her way across the rising ice.

With jolt, the ice stopped moving, and the man in the iceberg returned his hands to his center, releasing his hold on the newly created island and allowing the orb to collapse, hitting Katara with a blast of hot air. She rushed towards him, watching as the glow faded from his eyes and he collapsed on the ground, sliding down the ice into the snow. Sliding down next to him, she felt his pulse.  
_Weak, but he's still alive._

_Who is he?_

Cradled in her arms was a young man in strange clothing. His face was innocent and handsome, but his brow was furrowed with the troubles of life. He was dressed in what looked to be red and orange monk's robes, although tighter fitting to allow movement. Moving her eyes to his forehead, she caught a glimpse of a blue arrow. If the stories were true, he'd have a matching set covering his body. Katara tried to whisper to her brother, but her voice was caught from shock. Sokka said what she was thinking outloud.  
"He's an airbender!"

* * *

**Aang**  
White. It was all he saw as he opened his eyes for the first time since...  
Since when?  
The last thing he could remember was... nothing. It had slipped away like a dream.  
_Speaking of dreams... I'm so sleepy..._

* * *

**Sokka**  
"What's he doing Katara?" he commented, watching the monk dig his face deeper into his sister's lap. "Not exactly 'monk of the year' candidate over here."  
He laughed at his own joke, giving the kid some leeway. _Spend some glowing in a block of ice and you'll come onto anyone. Although I should probably do something..._  
Katara, who great sport that she was, was currently being used as a pillow and mattress by the semi-conscious airbender.  
"You wanna do something?" he asked, watching the monk tangle himself deeper into her clothing, searching for more warmth.

* * *

**Aang**  
Hearing a voice, Aang rolled off of his pillow and sat up. Waiting for his eyes to adjust to the white light all around him, he tried once again to remember how he got here.  
_Or how that guy got here._

Looking upward, Aang surveyed his new acquaintance.  
He was a tall man, with the dark skinned complexion and clear blue eyes, a member of the water tribes. He wore a form fitting fur jacket and long, thick pants. His hair was pulled back in a warrior's wolf tail, coming down to the tips of the weapons on his back.  
While he instantly recognized the machete coming over the man's right shoulder, the jointed scabbard that hung around the tribesman's neck puzzled Aang.  
_Have to ask him what that does later._ he concluded, and stood up.

"Aang." he said, bowing respectfully but keeping his eyes focused.  
"Sokka." the man said back, reaching for a handshake at the same time.  
The awkwardness of the two's cultural greetings shattered the tension between them, and both stood up with a smile.  
"You were pretty into that nap." Sokka said with a chuckle.  
"Hey," Aang shot back jokingly, "it's your own fault for setting me up like that. I don't usually end up blacking out in such comfortable accommodations."  
"Well these 'accommodations' have a name." Katara added, standing up behind him.

Turning away from Sokka, Aang found himself face looking down at another water triber.  
She was shorter than him by a head, but didn't seem at all intimidated by the height difference, boring into him with her deep cobalt eyes. Stepping away, he sized her up.  
She stood with her hands on her hips, looking up at him expectantly. Her dark brown hair ran down her shoulders to the small of her back, free except for two loops topped off by beads. She was wearing similar clothing to her friend, but the form fitting clothes, well, _fit_ her a little better. At her sides she carried two pouches. Aang started to blush as he realized that she was his comfortable pillow.  
"You done staring at my sister?" Sokka asked bemusedly.  
"Wait! I didn't mean to... I just tried to... yes, I'm done staring at your sister." he put his head down.

* * *

**Katara**  
"Sokka be nice." she said, giving Aang a smile before addressing the elephant-koi in the room.  
"So, how did you get into the ice?" she asked.  
Aang paused and looked at her.  
"I don't really remember. Last thing I remember I was riding Appa and then _bam_ I'm waking up in her lap."

"Katara." she said, holding out her hand while Aang bowed to her.

"Who's Appa?" Asked Sokka.

From behind him came a low growl.  
Katara's eyes widened, finding herself looking directly into the eyes of a giant furry creature.  
Everybody stopped moving, watching the beast carefully eye smell Sokka and Katara. With a low groan, he leaned forward and licked Sokka, lifting the warrior off the ground and soaking him with slobber.  
"APPA!" Aang shouted, leaping onto the animal's head.  
Appa grumbled happily.

"So you have no idea what happened?" She asked. The group was now sitting cross legged next to Appa.  
"Nope, but it'll probably come back soon enough." he said. "How about you guys, what are you doing out here?"  
Katara quickly relayed the events of the morning, covering their crashed canoe, discovery of the cave, and freeing him.  
"Which brings me to my next question," Katara continued, "are you an airbender?"  
Aang looked at her smugly  
"What tipped you off? Was it the flying bison or the tattoos?" he said, earning himself a friendly shove.  
"We'll it's just that, no one's seen an airbender since the war started, and that was-"  
"-What war?" Aang interjected, earning himself a round of blank looks.  
"Aang," Sokka said uneasily, "how long were you in the ice?"  
"Few days? Few hours?  
_Break it to him easy Sokka._  
"I think it was more like a century."  
_Damn it Sokka!_

* * *

**Aang**  
"Bullshit. You're just screwing with me." He looked towards Katara, scanning her face for some sign of a joke.  
_They have to be screwing with me. No way I missed something that big. I just need to remember what happened last night._  
He strained to remember, getting a few flashes of a temple in the mountains, but nothing else.  
"I... there's no way... It..." he trailed off.  
Katara scooted over towards him and took his hand.  
"We'll figure this out together." she said, and Aang took a deep breath, only to come out coughing.  
"What did I just breathe in?" he exclaimed, but was stricken by the tension in the air.  
After a while, Sokka opened his mouth.  
"The black snow." he spat,  
"Fire Nation."

* * *

**Zuko**  
Silence.  
There was nothing except the energy within, the breath that filled him.  
Iroh's words echoed in his mind.  
_All energy comes from the breath. It fills us with life, releases our energy, in and out. Only when you have mastered the breath can you turn that energy into power._

He deepened his breathing, feeling the heat build in his body and flow outward.  
He opened his eyes and sank down into his fighting stance, eyeing the six men surrounding him, and uttered a command.  
"Attack."

Six simultaneous blasts flew towards him, only to crash into a dome of fire. Moving in closer to the stationary firebender, three men leapt out to strike.  
Zuko sensed them, dodging the flames of the first two men and catching the other's punch, blasting him backwards with fire of his own. He followed through towards the unbalanced warriors, kicking one in the head and flipping the final one over his shoulder onto the ground. Pausing to celebrate his triumph, he was blown onto the ground by a combined fire blast from the remaining three warriors.

Kicking up onto his feet, he met the next blast with a fireball locking the men into a power struggle. Sensing his victory, Zuko poured power into the wave of fire, quickly out matching the other men and claiming victory.

"Very good, Prince Zuko, but you lack control. An experienced master could have easily turned that final wave against you, not to mention capitalized on your gloating. Firebending is a great power, but also a great burden and must be treated with respect." Iroh turned to leave.  
"Will I treat the Avatar with respect?" Zuko hissed, "or will I be forced to put all of my power into destroying him?"  
"He has had 100 years to master all four elements! And yet you stand here spouting drivel at me about the breath! Have you forgotten our purpose Uncle! Without the Avatar, I will never be able to return home! Do you understand, you weak, old-"  
"-take your stance." Iroh's voice was cold.  
Zuko took his stance once more  
"Finally, some advanced techniques. I was wondering when you would finally-"  
And he was on the ground, Iroh's fist poised above his face.  
"I have not forgotten our purpose, Prince Zuko, but I worry that you have."

Before Zuko could respond, a brilliant blue light flashed into the sky, illuminating the barren landscape of the South Pole.  
"What was that?" Iroh asked, but Zuko was already at the bow, scanning the ice with his spyglass.  
He started at the source of the light, which was hidden in a small cove.  
Scanning the shoreline his breath caught.  
"The Avatar's hiding place." he growled  
"Prepare for battle."

* * *

**Sokka**  
"What's happening?" Aang asked, looking at Sokka. Sokka kept his head down, but replied.  
"The Fire Nation is coming. That huge beacon of light you set off must have gotten their attention." he looked over at Katara. She was playing with the stoppers on her water flasks, face calm as the water she bent. But Sokka knew it took everything in her power not to break down. The last raid...  
_We try not to think about it._

"We need to get back to the village," he said coldly, "they'll need our help. C'mon Katara, let's go." They turned to hop in their canoe, only to remember that it was in pieces 50 feet below the water.  
Aang piped up. "We can take Appa. Hop on guys!"  
_Kid doesn't know what he's getting himself into_. Sokka thought, as they climbed onto the bison.  
"Yip Yip Appa!"  
There was a pause. Then Appa tensed himself and launched into the air, flying out of the cove and towards the village.  
_So that's why they're called sky-bison._  
_huh._  
_DAAAAAMMMMMMMNNNNNN IIIIIIIIITTTTTT!_

* * *

**Aang**  
He loved to see the looks on people's faces when Appa took off, but aside from a few brief flashes of terror the water tribers' faces remained sullen and distant.  
Containing the wisecrack that leapt to his lips, he rode the rest of the way in silence.

* * *

**Sokka**  
They set Appa down on the outskirts of the village, and leapt off into the snow, watching the column of smoke growing ever closer on the horizon.  
"Just a small raiding party," Sokka whispered, "You guys wait here, I'll deal with this."  
Ignoring the protest of the two armed young ones, Katara with her daggers and Aang with a strange staff, he continued.  
"Aang is the only airbender we've seen in 100 years, and Katara, you're the only waterbender in the entire South Pole. I'm just a warrior. I'm expendable. Now wait here."  
And with that he slid down the hill into the village, drawing his machete.

* * *

**Zuko**  
_Finally._  
_After years of searching, I've found the Avatar._  
_I'm going home._  
Zuko walked to the front of his warriors, bracing himself for impact as the war ship crashed through the ice surrounding the small village.  
_What a coward. Hiding this long in such a lowly village. He's doomed them all with his weakness._  
With a groan, the front of the ship opened, and Zuko led his men into the Southern Water Tribe.

He could smell the fear emanating from them as he strode into the village. Scanning the eyes of the savages for something, some indication of unimaginable power. There was nothing. These people were as dead and barren as the landscape around them.  
_So much for precision_. Zuko smiled, and brought fire to his hands, eliciting a gasp from the crowd.  
_Fear me. Fear for your lives._  
"As you can see, I have traveled quite a long way to get to this barren wasteland, and it would be oh so disappointing if I didn't achieve my goal. You see, I'm looking for the Avatar, and I know he's here, and if you don't cooperate, well..." he let the flame rise higher "I will be very distraught."

He pulled the oldest one out of the crowd and held her up by the throat, fire licking the air.  
"Where is he?" He said calmly.  
"We don't... know..." she choked out.  
"I saw the beacon! I know he's here!" he began to heat her neck, causing her to writhe in pain.  
"No... he's... not here." She breathed, and fell unconscious.  
Zuko threw her to the ground, flames working his way up his arms, ready to end this peasant when something metal hit his head, knocking him onto the ground.  
He looked up and saw a man walking towards him, stopping to reach out and catch the boomerang.  
"Hasn't anyone ever told you to respect your elders?"

* * *

**Aang**  
Listening from above the hill, Aang and Katara high fived at Sokka's clever line.  
Things went downhill from there.  
As the leader of the soldiers picked himself up out of the snow his helmet came off, revealing a hideous scar that covered the left side of his face. He dusted himself off, as Sokka took a battle stance across the ice from him.  
Sokka charged.  
It was over before it had begun.  
The scarred man easily avoided Sokka's strike with the machete and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him into the air and slamming him down on his back, choking him.  
He whispered in Sokka's ear, before standing up and facing his men.  
"I grow tired of this filth." he said, kicking Sokka into a snow drift. Flames began to rise around him once more.  
"Kill them all." he said.  
As the man raised his hand to end Sokka's life Aang struck with all his might, blasting Zuko backwards into the ground. He leapt into the village.  
Rising from a crouch to face the invaders, he drew his staff.  
"Looking for me?"  
And then it had begun.

Barely dodging Zuko's initial fire blast, Aang rolled into combat position, remembering the words of an old mentor.  
_Air is the element of freedom. Never face your enemy head on, allow yourself to be like a leaf in the wind._  
Aang continued to dodge, leaping from house to house, constantly ahead of the barrage of fire.  
But he was causing more damage than he was preventing, and as he landed he saw the entire village in flames and various stages of destruction.  
_I have to save them, even if it kills me._  
He landed right in front of his opponent.  
"I'll go with you if you leave the village alone." he said, facing him straight on.  
And then he was hit in the head and blacked out.

* * *

**Katara**  
She watched Aang fall from the blow, and before she knew it she was running down the hill into the village.  
_Have to help. They need my help._  
But it was too late, and Aang had already been brought aboard the ship, which was pulling away.  
She ran over to Kana, who still laid unconscious on the ground. At Katara's touch she woke up, and weakly smiled.  
"The boy is the Avatar. He has the power to stop this war and restore balance. The world needs him, but right now he needs you and your brother. Go, help him, we will all make it." she held Katara in her arms and then faded back into sleep. Leaving her grandmother to the town's women, she stood and went to Sokka.  
"Sokka, we-"  
"-need to help him. I know. C'mon, let's grab Appa and see if we can't stop that ship."  
Katara smiled, and ran up towards the bison, stopping one last time to look at the people who she'd known her entire life, and she was torn.  
_How can I desert them now?_ she thought, but was interrupted by the call of a caribou-wolf.  
Turning, she looked across the horizon at the herds of animals moving once more across the ice.  
_There's _always_ hope_. she thought, and climbed onto Appa.  
"Goodbye Everyone!" she yelled, tears coming to her eyes.  
"Yip Yip!"

* * *

**Aang**  
When he came to he had a throbbing headache, but was told to walk.  
He looked around, noticing the rope tied around his hands and the guards surrounding him.  
_You never have to attack head on. Sometimes a strong enemy is your greatest advantage._  
"Bet you guys never fought an airbender before." he said cockily, earning a backhand across the jaw.  
"Silence!"  
Calming his mind and retreating from his body to his center, he continued to goad the men.

"What type of slap was that? Fire army isn't what it used to be."  
A punch to the gut and elbow to the back.

"Have you ever considered massage therapy?"  
Kick to the back of the legs to get him on the ground, and then a blow to the ribs.

From the ground, he kicked up to his feet, backing into the wall.  
"You know, I feel like your hearts just aren't in it, y'know?" he said "How about some inspiration?" The soldiers started closing in  
_Come to papa._

The fire nation soldiers didn't disappoint, coming at him full force.  
Aang dodged one, driving him into the wall behind him. Slitting the ropes on the man's sword, he spun out of the way of another punch. Having had enough fun, he blasted the remaining men away with an air blast and ran up to the deck, passing the scarred man on his way. Grabbing his staff out of the stunned firebender's hands, he continued to sprint, with all intention of gliding away.

He didn't count on Iroh.

A wall of fire blazed across the deck, sealing Aang in and forcing him to face the firebenders.  
_Not good, not good, not good_. He knew the presence of a firebending master when he felt it, and the old man across from him absolutely radiated power.  
_Only dragons are that powerful._  
He stood shakily to face the calm man standing across from him, but was interrupted by Appa's groan.  
"Aang!" Katara shouted, and she and Sokka leapt down from the bison.  
Aang's heart jumped, glad to see his friends, but over their shoulder he saw the leader shooting a blast of fire in their direction.  
There was no time to think, only to push the two out of the way...  
… and take the full brunt of the attack.

The world went red, and Aang felt himself lifted over the edge of the boat, falling towards the water. He crashed in, sinking slowly into the freezing darkness.  
_Sokka and Katara back to back on the deck of the ship, firebenders closing in._  
_The people who took him in without question, his new family._  
_He had to protect them. _  
_He wouldn't fail anyone again._  
_Not like at the air temple._  
_Never again._  
Suddenly Aang saw it. The Southern Air Temple flashed through his mind.  
_This is where you must go Aang. Your answers will be revealed, though they may not be the ones you want._

And then he felt the power.

* * *

**The Avatar**  
_Arise._  
_Protect._  
_Destroy._  
_Rest._

* * *

**Katara**  
Aang rose over the side of the boat in a cyclone of water, eyes and arrows glowing like they had been in the ice.  
_He really is the Avatar._  
Aang looked down at Appa and his friends, then over to the fire nation soldiers, who were stunned. He raised his arms and the boat started to scream, metal being torn apart.  
The two siblings hopped onto Appa and took off, watching as ice burst through the hull of the boat, stranding it. Flying over to the cyclone of water, they were able to catch Aang as he calmed down.  
Laying him down against the saddle, Katara met his eyes as he started to lose consciousness.  
"Thank you for coming back." he whispered, and she hugged him, holding him close.  
"Tell Appa to go to the Southern Air Temple." he breathed, eyes closing as he fought to stay awake.  
"We're going home Appa."  
"We're going home."

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Chapter 3 will be out soon. **


	3. Book 1, Chapter 3: Among the Ashes

**A/N: Glad to hear you guys have been enjoying the story. I'll try to post these at a more humane time of night, even if it means a day later.**

* * *

**Book 1: The Return**  
**Chapter 3: Among the Ashes**

* * *

**Katara**  
"So are you starting to remember anything?"  
They were riding through the clouds on Appa. The skies were blue, the mountains loomed large in the distance, and Aang seemed upbeat after sleeping for several hours.  
"Bits and pieces," he said back, turning from his spot on Appa's head to face her, "but I'm sure that it'll all come back once I get there. At least that's what I saw in my vision."  
_You also heard that it wouldn't be what you expected._

After saving them from the warship, Aang had been out for a while. Just as Katara was starting to worry he had sat up, and began to talk hurriedly.  
"When I fell off the boat I started to see visions of the Southern Air Temple and a voice told me I'd get the answers I needed, although they might not be the ones I wanted and then I kinda blanked and woke up next to you guys on Appa but I was tired so I fell asleep and had some trippy dreams where-"  
"-Aang, slow down!" Katara had interjected. He took a deep breath.  
"Sorry guys, I'm just really excited to see my home again." he said, and had turned back to guiding Appa.  
_It might not be home anymore, she thought._

"Aang." She said, getting his attention.  
_How to go about this?_  
"I just... want you to be prepared for what you might see when we get to the temple. The fire nation has touched every corner of the globe, and they do horrible, horrible things. They raid villages, burn towns, and kill for fun." her fingers brushed her necklace. "I don't want you to be hurt by what you might see. A lot can change in 100 years."  
Aang looked up at her, wheels turning in his head.  
"I know that these soldiers, these monsters have done unspeakable things in the past, but the only way into the temples is on flying bison. So unless they managed to breed their own versions of Appa, there's no way they could have gotten here." He smiled weakly, but Katara didn't buy it.  
_Anything to hold onto hope_. She thought, fingering her necklace again.

* * *

Zuko  
"Give me a dragon's breath."  
Zuko sat down at the bar, fists clenched.  
_That pathetic child and his water-peasant friends. How could they cause so much damage?_  
The warship had been so badly damaged that they were lucky to make it to port. Repairs were being done by the minute, but for now he was stuck in a dingy waterfront bar with the monk's face running through his head.  
_I will not underestimate him again_, he thought.  
The bartender showed up with the strong drink and Zuko downed it in one shot. Feeling the heat run through him he breathed out a burst of fire, then motioned for another drink.  
"Prince Zuko. Always a touch for the theatrics." a cold voice said from behind him.  
Zuko felt the hair raise on his neck, and turned.

"Zhao." he spat, voice dripping with venom.

"Now, now, Prince Zuko, I'm not here to exchange harsh words. I was simply passing through the town and couldn't help noticing your ship, and the state it was in. How in the world did you manage to take that much damage?" He sat down next to Zuko.  
"We ran into trouble off the coast of the earth kingdom." Zuko lied, downing his second drink.

"Well that's strange, because I could have sworn the dock hands said they saw you arrive from the south, and there's not a single earth village until over 100 miles north of here. What with the rumors about the Avatar, I couldn't help but wonder..." he trailed off.  
Zuko turned away.  
"I hadn't heard anything about it."

Zhao stood up, moving to leave.  
"That's a shame. What with your particular situation, I would have expected you to be the first to know that your only chance at restoring your honor had returned. I _sincerely_ hope he doesn't elude you." He smirked, and said from the door, "Farewell, Prince Zuko."  
Zuko looked back to the bar and stood up in disgust. Grabbing another drink he tossed a few coins down and left, slamming the door on his way out and storming off into the night.

* * *

Katara  
From the tension in Aang's back, she knew they were getting close. They had reached a huge mountain a little while before and had climbed steadily ever since.  
"Just through these clouds!" he shouted excitedly.  
Katara braced herself as they burst through mist.

It had been beautiful, she could tell. There were four towers, one for each point of the compass, surrounding a central area. Below she saw levels upon levels of flat plains, and hidden alcoves, all bound together by a series of interweaving walkways and paths that made the temple look like a vast jigsaw puzzle. She could almost picture the vibrant life that must have existed here 100 years ago.  
Now it was little more than a husk.

Ash marked the ground, long scars in the earth that hadn't healed over, and probably wouldn't. The beautiful spires that marked the skyline were in shambles, half keeled over and blackened. Fire nation armor littered the ground, prompting Sokka to speak up.  
"It looks like they were able to kill quite a few soldiers," He said, picking up the helmet and tossing it back down, "but I thought monks were all pacifists?" he looked at Aang, who hadn't spoken. The young monk was staring at the skyline, and turned to face the warrior.

"The airbenders believe that all life is sacred, from the smallest donkey-fly to the oldest lion turtle. That's why we're all vegetarian. Or were." He too picked up a helmet, and threw it off the side of the mountain. "But even the most enlightened monk has to realize that in extreme circumstances the good of the one can not triumph over the good of the many." He turned, walking towards the center of the charred skeleton that used to be his home.  
"Where are you going Aang?" Katara asked, "isn't this the answer you were looking for?"

"I was supposed to go into the sanctuary when I turned 18, when I was ready to learn the ways of the Avatar. I know it's been a long time, but I'm ready now. I have to do this." he continued walking.

* * *

Aang  
_This is wrong. This is so wrong! How could this happen while I was gone?_  
He hadn't been surprised to find the temple abandoned. After all, the nomads were constantly on the move and Katara had said the airbenders had vanished.  
_But all this ash and scorch marks, and the fallen towers. Why can't I remember?!_  
It felt familiar, like a memory bubbling just below the surface of his mind. He stopped for a moment, and examined the burnt door that led into the temple.

_Get inside! Children first! Aang! Come with me!_

Aang staggered, trying to dig deeper into the memory, but as soon as it had come it vanished. He opened the door into the temple, walking inside.

As he walked he began to be filled with new hope.  
_The airbenders probably got away_, he reasoned. _They're fast and quick and-_  
-then he saw the skeleton. It was covered in ash, the traditional airbending robes having long since rotted away. Half of its skull was melted, the remaining bits creating a disturbing smile.

_We can't stop Aang! We have to get to the Sanctuary now! The Spirits have him!_

Katara gasped.

* * *

Katara  
She'd seen it before, when the men returned from battle, but she would never be used to it. Entire body parts blown off, the ones who came home crippled if they were lucky and little more than piles of ash if they weren't. She was disgusted by these, these _monsters._  
She was even more concerned for Aang. He'd been in the ice for 100 years, and these were his friends that had been killed.  
_He's been acting strange since we got here,_ she thought, _I wonder how he's coping._  
He stood up shaking his head, as if trying to get a bug away from his face, and continued onward.

* * *

Aang  
_He had been here before._  
As he looked up at the intricate mechanism of the Sanctuary Gates he felt the now familiar flash of a vision.

_Aang, get inside! Use your airbending to open the door! You'll know what to do once you're in there. I'll hold them off for now! Hurry!_

Aang sized up the door.  
_Took a deep breath._  
Leapt forward.  
_And blasted air into the locks._

_The gate opened, revealing a room with thousands of statues inside. Aang walked forward, stopping at an old man with white hair. Looking at the man's eyes, he heard a voice._  
_"Hello Aang."_  
_Looking around, he saw no one there, but the voice resonated in his mind._  
_"I am Avatar Roku. I would normally be your guide to mastering the ways of the Avatar, but this is no normal situation. Outside of the temple lies nothing but destruction. Fire Lord Sozin has made his move. You must escape. The Avatar must survive. When the time is right you will know. I must go. It takes a great deal of energy to talk to you for this long. Goodbye Aang."_

Aang opened his eyes. He was on the ground. He hopped up to his feet, and noticed he was alone in the Sanctuary.  
_We meet again, Aang._  
"Roku?"  
_Yes, but my time is short._  
"But I have so many questions!"  
_All will be answered in time. I will send a messenger to retrieve you when the time is right._  
"You've said that twice! I want some answers! What happened to everyone?!"  
_You need only to look to find those answers, but brace yourself, they will be difficult truths to deal with. Goodbye Aang, I will see you soon._  
"Wait, Roku!"  
But he was alone again. Alone in the dark.  
He walked out of the Sanctuary.

_He left the Sanctuary and ran to Gyatso, who was covered in ash but still smiling. Ignoring the unconscious firebenders around them, Aang hugged him, inadvertently squeezing Gyatso's burn. Panting, Gyatso stood up._  
_"We need to go Aang." he grabbed his young apprentice and began to move._  
_"To the sky-bison stables." he said and they began to run._

Aang began to jog, line between past and present blurring as he ran.  
_Dodging a fire blast, that left a_  
charred mark on the pillar behind him. Jumping over  
_a gap in the ground created by the fire nation's explosives. Muttering_  
a silent prayer for the fallen monks around him as he leapt over their  
_boiling bodies. Watching the flesh melt off of them as they writhed in pain._  
Walking out over the sky-bison pens  
_expecting the pathway to freedom,_  
but there was nothing but  
_Blood and ashes._

_He and Gyatso looked down across the field, the field where he had first bonded with Appa, where he had played as a child. It was a battle ground. Monks dueled firebenders across the yard, and the monks were losing badly. It almost seemed as if the firebenders has some sort of extra power. Watching his friends, his family fall under the vicious onslaught, Aang stood frozen. Gyatso acted quickly._  
_"Airbenders, to me!" he shouted, leaping down into the yard to the ground, sending a wave of air outward._  
_The airbenders quickly formed a protective circle around the airbending master._  
_"Aang, go get Appa, we'll hold them off!" he shouted, then "Now!"_  
_The monks struck hard and fast, turning the tide slightly and allowing Aang to slip through enemy lines and into the stables. Hewn into the side of the mountains, they allowed for instant access to the skies. _  
_Or they had, before they were set aflame._  
_Aang ran to Appa, hopping on and yelling, "Yip Yip!"_  
_Appa flew quickly, only to stop at the flames, groaning in fear._  
_"We have to go Appa!" Aang pleaded, and blasted them through the flames with his airbending, burning Appa in the process._  
_As he flew out over the battlefield, he saw the airbenders backed into a circle, and Gyatso looked up. He smiled._  
_Aang disappeared over the edge of the mountain._

The scene Aang looked upon now was a lot less heroic.  
Lying in piles on the ground were the bones of hundreds of airbenders. Adults and children, none had been spared from the hungry fires of the soldiers. Lying off to the side were the skeletons of dozens of Sky Bison, burned alive like their masters. And in the center of it all was Gyatso.

He was on a spike in the middle of the ground, the traditional chain of an airbending grand master wrapped around his neck. At his feet was an inscription, and Aang fell to his knees.  
_The last of the pathetic air nomads._  
_He killed many, so we killed his family._  
_While the others were granted the cleansing fire of death,_  
_He burned slowly. May his soul never rest._  
_All Hail Fire Nation._

Aang closed his eyes, another vision coming on. He saw the nomads fall, one by one. He saw the friendly faces vanish, obscured by fire. He saw Gyatso burning, still smiling at him. Still smiling, a reminder of his failure.  
Aang looked up.  
Gyatso was smiling down at him.  
And Aang was gone.

* * *

Zuko  
He was walking back through the streets towards the ship when he saw Iroh standing behind a row of soldiers.  
"Uncle," he slurred, "why are you out here?"  
"Listen carefully Prince Zuko," his voice was hushed, "Zhao is on the ship talking to the crew. I fear he knows-"  
"That you've found the Avatar." Zhao finished, stepping out of the hold and onto the deck.  
"I found your crew members... difficult at first. With a little persuasion they told me all I needed to know." He motioned for two soldiers, who dumped a body into the ocean.  
"My work is done here. Leave the banished prince to his chase. I've got an Avatar to capture." He pushed past Zuko, followed by his men.  
"Agni Kai." Zuko whispered.

Zhao smiled.  
"No Prince Zuko!" Iroh warned, "Remember what happened the last time you participated in one of those barbaric contests."  
Zuko's hand instinctively went to his scar, but he continued.  
"You heard me Zhao. Agni Kai at sunset, on the docks."  
"Oh I'll be there Prince Zuko. I'll be there." Zhao turned with a smirk and walked off into the town.

* * *

Katara  
She had been running with Sokka trying to catch Aang.  
"He's gone crazy!" Sokka shouted, jumping over yet another dead airbender.  
"He just found out he lost his family!" Katara shot back, leaping over a gap in the ground, "he's bound to be a little distraught!"  
"But he's the Avatar! I get a little angry, fine, I go kick over some snowmen, maybe hunt a little bit. He can go kick over a fucking _mountain."_

"C'mon, Sokka, what's the worst that can happen?" she said, turning the corner and overlooking the battle ground.  
"That." Sokka gulped, pointing to the figure slumped in the middle of the battleground. Aang looked up, eyes glowing with power. The wind picked up, swirling towards him faster and faster and faster.  
_I have got to stop saying that._

"We need to calm him down!" she shouted, running down the stairs towards him.  
"You're fucking crazy!" Sokka shouted back, "I'm taking cover!" he leapt over an overturned pillar and got down.  
The wind was swirling ever faster, creating an orb around Aang and lifting him into the air. Katara yelled at him.  
"Aang, we know you're hurt. The fire nation is heinous. They took people you loved from you. They've taken people from us too. Our mom, our dad, they tore our family apart. But we are a family now, and we need to protect each other!" she fought closer, looking into those glowing eyes again, thinking she'd gotten through to him.

He lashed out, sending her flying backwards with a gust of air and into a wall. Sokka crawled over. Katara's vision swam as she sat up.  
"He's not Aang right now! He's the Avatar! And he's really pissed! We need to get out of here until he calms down!" he grabbed her hand.  
With one look back at the peaceful monk, they ran into the temple.

* * *

Zuko  
The sun was setting to his right, the town to his left. His head had cleared by now, but not according to Iroh.  
"Zhao will look to take advantage of any weakness he sees. If you give him one to target intentionally, you can shape this agni kai. I will not have a student of mine dying while I am here."  
Zuko nodded. Traditionally the agni kai was a holy contest between two pure warriors to the death, a celebration of fire and its mastery. It was honorable to die in such a contest, rewarding both combatants with reincarnation as the greatest of firebenders. As dragons.

This was no honorable ritual. It would be a bitter fight to the death.  
A gong sounded, and Zuko rose, shrugging off the traditional vest and taking a battle stance. At the end of the wharf, Zhao had done the same.  
"You know prince Zuko, it's not too late to give in. Even the pathetic life you live is better than death by fire."  
"I've already felt hellfire, Zhao," Zuko spat, "I haven't got anything left to lose."  
And the fight began.

* * *

Sokka  
Leaving the temple and rushing to Appa, the water tribers mounted up.  
"We need to get up in the air!" Sokka shouted over the rush of wind and crumbling of the temple.  
"Yip Yip!"  
Appa took off into the cyclone, batted around like a ball, doing all he could to stay airborne in Aang's rage.  
Aang!  
The young monk was slowly moving through the temple, his personal tornado turning the structure around him to rubble. Sokka dodged a flying piece of stone, but immediately found himself blinded by something.

Clawing at his face for safety was a lemur of some sort. He pulled it off and laid it down in the saddle, where it collapsed in a heap.  
"Katara! We need to go! NOW!" he grabbed Appa's reins, ready to fight his way out of the storm.  
But it was stopping.  
Looking below him he saw Aang floating slowly to the ground, before falling to his hands and knees. With a shared look, the siblings steered Appa down to the ground.

* * *

Zuko  
He slid under a fire blast on his knees, coming up into an attack, working to get closer to Zhao.

_Use your speed against an older opponent. They will be more powerful over the distance, so you must be quick and agile to defeat them._  
Zhao saw him coming, and eagerly stepped closer, bringing his fists down in an arc.  
Zuko rolled out of the way, popping back on to his feet, but wobbling.  
Zhao smiled and lunged forward, bringing a wave of fire down on Zuko and sending him flying back onto the ground. Filled with blood lust, he leapt off the ground, propelled by fire, flying down for the finishing blow, savoring the look of fear on the prince's face.  
But Zuko smiled.

Half a second too late Zhao realized he had been tricked as Zuko kicked out, sending a concentrated fire blast into Zhao, dropping him to the ground. Zuko was above him in a flash, hands flaming.  
"Do it." Zhao spat.  
Zuko raised his hands, and blasted fire-  
-straight into the ground.

"You're not worth it." he hissed, and stood to walk away.  
Zhao had other plans, leaping up and pouring all of his fire into a killing blow.  
Iroh caught his arm in mid air, and brought him to the ground. Zuko turned, ready to exact vengeance on Zhao.  
"No, Prince Zuko. Do not taint your victory." he turned to Zhao. "I expected better from a fire navy captain." he left Zhao on the ground.  
"Come, prince Zuko. It's time we were off."

* * *

Katara  
Aang was kneeling in front of a statue of an airbender, head hanging.  
"He was like a father to me." he said, to no one in particular. "he was like a father to me and I let him down. I let them all down. I've failed my duty as Avatar."  
"Aang, you haven't failed." Katara sat down next to him. "There's nothing you could have done. Even the avatar couldn't stand up to the entire fire army. But one thing you can do is make it right." He looked up at her.  
"You said you've failed, but someone very close to me once said that as long as you have hope you will always have a chance." She felt for her necklace. "We still have a chance. You, me, and Sokka. But to even have a prayer we need you to master the elements. There's a water tribe at the North Pole where we can learn waterbending."

"We?" Aang looked confused.  
"I've never had a teacher," she said, more than a little embarrassed, "everything I know I've taught myself."  
"So we can learn together." he said, giving her a real smile for the first time since she found him. Her heart jumped for half a second before she shook herself.  
_What was that?_

* * *

Aang  
Sokka walked in, a flying lemur perched on one shoulder. It immediately leapt to Aang, large ears flopping in the wind.  
"Hey little guy." he said, and sat down next to the statue.  
"We're gonna go pack up Aang." Sokka said, pulling Katara away.  
"Alright..." Aang murmured, looking from the lemur to the statue of Gyatso. Memories came flooding back.

_Making pies on the roof._  
_Shooting pies off the roof._  
_Running from the older monks._  
_Playing Airball with his friends._  
_Feeding the lemurs._  
_Riding sky bison._  
"You and me are all that's left little guy." he said.  
_I guess he needs a name._  
"I'll call you Momo." he decided, standing up and looking one more time at Gyatso.  
_I couldn't help you then, but I'll make it right. By all the spirits in the goddamn universe I'll make things right._  
And he walked out after the siblings.


	4. Book 1, Chapter 4: Hidden Strength

A/N: We've gotten through most of the backstory, so onto the adventure!

Book 1: The Return  
Chapter 4: Hidden Strength

* * *

**Sokka**  
_Boring. So damn boring._  
They had been riding on Appa for almost a day, having left the temple with only the inclination to "Go North."  
_Some plan that's been._ he thought, and returned to watching the endless expanses of blue water.  
Following Aang's meltdown at the air temple he'd spent most of the ride in silence, but Sokka was fine with that.  
It was Katara that was getting on his nerves.

With Aang in no mood to converse she'd taken to puttering around the ten-foot long saddle aimlessly, trying to find something to fix, to comment on, to do. She couldn't sit still.  
When she moved over to rearrange their gear for the fifteenth time Sokka snapped.  
"Katara! Just calm down!" She turned to face him.  
"Me?! I'm fine! You're the one who needs to calm down! Ugh!" she crossed her arms and draped herself over the edge of the saddle.

Katara  
_Stupid Sokka with his stupid... self._  
She stopped. Maybe she did need to calm down. But with Aang off in some other world and Sokka, well, being Sokka, she didn't have anything better to do.  
Her musings were cut short by Aang's exclamation.  
"Land!" he shouted, and steered Appa towards the growing speck in the distance.  
Argument forgotten, she and Sokka crawled towards Appa's head.  
"Finally!" Sokka jumped up, almost falling off of Appa in the process.  
Katara leaned down and caught him before he ended up in the water, but stopped and stared at the ocean. Sokka climbed back into the saddle, and turned to her.  
"What?" He asked, and noticed Aang had stopped too.  
"It's incredibly deep here." she mumbled. "Must be a trench. I can sense much more water down there than anything I've ever felt." She looked at Aang.

"I feel it too." he said. "It must be miles deep right here."  
Sokka shuddered.  
"We'll we won't be going swimming anytime soon, so how about we land."  
They continued flying, leaving the dark depths behind them, but Katara heard something in the back of her head, a deep moan that seemed to be coming from below them.  
"Yeah," she said shakily, "let's get away from here."

* * *

**Sokka**  
"Oh spirits its good to be on land again!" He exclaimed, jumping off of Appa and onto the ground. He popped up and started stretching, while Aang and Katara unloaded the saddle.  
"Hey you guys stay here, I'm off to go find us some food." he walked into the brush, machete in hand.

_No luck._  
He sighed.  
"No meat for poor Sokka." he complained, sheathing his machete and turning back towards camp.  
"Well there's always fruit." he thought, and then he sensed it.  
_There was something here._  
Looking around, he drew his machete once more, scanning the path in front of him for danger. He did a quick sweep of his surroundings and turned, satisfied that he was safe.  
He was unconscious before he hit the ground.

* * *

**Aang**  
_What the hell is going on?_ he thought. His eyes were open but it was pitch black, and his arms were tied behind his back. He could feel Katara next to him and Sokka on his left, and breathed a sigh of relief. Turning to the situation at hand, he spoke up.  
"Excuse me, but I appear to be tied to a tree. Could anyone help me?" he asked in his sweetest voice, which was somewhat stifled by the gag in his mouth. Suddenly the blindfold was ripped off and he found himself facing an group of people. At the forefront were a grizzled looking old man and a woman in strange clothes.  
_Strange, but oddly familiar._

Moving along, he asked once more.  
"Could you please untie me? I don't know what's going on here, but I'd prefer that it didn't."  
Beside him, Sokka and Katara were coming to. The old man chose that moment to start talking.  
"We do not know who we are, nor do we care. You must leave Kyoshi Island immediately. Nothing good has ever come of strangers on this island."  
"I don't know who you think we are, but we've come in peace looking for supplies." Aang replied cautiously, eliciting an outburst from the woman.  
"Well you can damn well keep looking! For all we know you could be fire nation!"  
Aang looked at her, starting to get annoyed.  
"Us. Fire nation."  
"Yes!"  
"Do we look fire nation to you?" he said, voice rising and nodding towards his friends, who were still gagged but looked as pissed as one can while tied to a pole.  
"You could be spies! We can't take any chances!" she shouted, getting up in his face. Aang laughed, before lowering his voice to a calm tone.

"You think this is a game? You think that if we were fire nation you wouldn't be dead now? If the fire nation actually wanted this shithole in the middle of the ocean that they'd sent three motherfucking kids to do it!" His voice was rising once again, thinking of his own air temple.

"You haven't seen the storm. You're sitting here playing soldier and thinking you could stand up to the fire nation if they came down on you? You think you're surviving on anything but the sheer irrelevance of _Kyoshi Island_? I've seen my people burned alive, I've seen the entire race of airbenders wiped out, I've seen more of this war than you'll ever know, and you call us fire nation spies?"  
The old man stepped forward.  
"Bullshit. No one alive has ever seen an airbender."  
"Really?" Aang tensed.  
He leapt up into the air, shrugging off the ropes and floating down.  
There was a collective gasp.  
"Now do you think I'm a fire nation spy?" Aang said pointedly.  
"The Avatar!" the old man breathed.  
"You're _goddamn_ right."

* * *

**Katara**  
Following Aang's stunning reveal the islanders had quickly apologized.  
"We are so sorry Avatar!" The old man had blurted out, "If there's anything we can do..."  
"You can untie my friends," Aang seemed calmer, but Katara could tell he was still seething.  
"And let us stay for a while." he finished.  
The soldiers had leapt into action, untying Katara and Sokka before dispersing the crowd, leaving only Aang, Katara, Sokka, the leader of the warriors, and the old man.  
"Please accept our apologies Avatar, we only-"  
"-I understand. You are doing all you can to protect your people." he inclined his head in a gesture of peace, before walking off into the town.  
Sokka, on the other hand, wasn't so quick to kiss and make up.

"Where are the men who ambushed us?" he demanded. The woman stepped forward.  
"It was us, the Kyoshi Warriors. We were founded four hundred years ago by Avatar Kyoshi herself." she pointed to a statue of a woman. She was in combat boots, long green pants, and a modified kimono, fit with armor. She held a pair of golden fans in the air, and her face was white with paint except for two red marks below her eyes, almost like tears of blood.  
Sokka looked from the statue they were once tied up to and then to the warrior, then back to the statue.  
He laughed, holding out his hand.  
"Alright then little lady, I'm glad you all have time to dress up like your hero. I'm Sokka" Katara knew her brother, he was turning up his "charm" to full blast.  
She smiled, and held out her hand.  
"Suki," she replied and flipped him onto the ground, bending his arm behind his back.  
"And we take our dress up very seriously."

When Katara calmed down from her fit of laughter, she helped Sokka up off the ground.  
"She...they... surprised me! That's all!" he claimed.  
"Are you sure? Cause they made pretty quick work of me and Aang." She was lying, of course. She and Aang had at least put up a fight, but Sokka didn't have to know that.  
It worked.

"Hmmm. Well anyone that can take down the Avatar might be doing something right." he reasoned.  
"And speaking of the Avatar, you might have some competition." he teased, pointing towards the pack of ravenous teenage girls currently stalking their companion.  
"I have no idea what-" she yelled  
"-kidding." he said, "but maybe-"  
"-shut up Sokka." she said, pulling the stoppers off of her water flasks. He raised his hands in the air in surrender.  
"Alright, Alright. I'm going to talk to Suki, see if I can't at least get a few tips on how to take you down." he turned on his heel and hurried away, leaving Katara standing alone in the middle of the town.  
_Guess I'm the only responsible one_. she thought, and pulled out a list for supplies.

* * *

**Suki**  
As she watched her warriors drill she was filled with a sense of pride. They had been spectacular today, neutralizing the Avatar and a waterbender with ruthless efficiency. And dealt with that buffoon Sokka.  
_Who does he think he is, insulting the honor of the Kyoshi warriors? Well we showed him not to trifle with things he can't handle._  
"Hello, ladies."  
_Speak of the devil._  
"Oh, great master Sokka, so glad you could join us. Girls." she motioned, and the women stopped drilling through their sets.  
"We are honored by your presence." she said, voice dripping with sarcasm.  
It was wasted on Sokka.

"Well I try." he said, drawing himself up to his full height. "I'm actually the best warrior in my village."  
"Oh, well perhaps you could show us something from the famous Water Tribe warriors. We grow so tired of playing dress up." She batted her eyelashes.  
"Well if you insist... but I don't know how to demonstrate without an opponent." he said.  
_Bastard is trying to get out of it_, she thought,_ not so fast wise-ass._  
"I'll be your opponent," she said sweetly, "try to go easy okay?"  
He studied her face, before agreeing.  
"Alright, so here I go." he threw a half hearted punch that was immediately caught and thrown back.  
Regaining his balance, he looked at her again, anger in his eyes, before attacking with full force. This time she simply dodged the blow and tripped him, sending him onto the ground and standing back up. He leapt to his feet and rushed her.  
_Come at me, bitch._  
She leaned under his charge and threw him, watching him sail over her shoulder and out the door onto the ground with a satisfying thud.  
"Back to your sets girls."

* * *

She had just finished the last bit of training when Sokka walked back in.  
"Oh, back to teach me some more?" she asked smugly, and was surprised when he dropped to his knees.  
"I realize I was an ass to you and disrespected your ancient society of warriors, but I would be honored if you would help me out. I'm essentially worthless to the team right now, and anything would help, even you kicking the crap out of me for a little while."  
She was surprised by his outburst, and a little flattered, but she wasn't about to let him off that easily.  
"It won't be easy." she said  
"I can handle it"  
"And you'll have to follow all of our traditions."  
"Of course."  
She smirked.  
"Wait... All of them?"

* * *

"You know, I think green is a good color on you." She suppressed laughter.  
_He looks ridiculous._  
_All the same though..._  
"Why again am I wearing a dress?" he asked, slumping his shoulders.  
"It represents honor, our rich tradition, and the strength of the warrior." she shot back  
Sokka straightened up.  
"Honor and strength, huh? I can get behind that."  
"I would get behind that too." a passerby joked, earning a glare from Suki. Sokka was unfazed.  
"Come get a little bit then big boy." he said, steel in his voice.  
Deciding that he should stay on the warriors' good side, the man left, mumbling about the "Stupid water tribers."

Turning back to Sokka, she handed him two of the golden fans, explaining that "these are modelled after the ones Kyoshi herself used to fight. We honor her with their use."  
Sokka looked at the bronze weapons in his hands, practicing folding them out and back in.  
"Now attack me." she said, stepping back.  
"...okaayyy." he said, and leapt forward again.  
And ended up on the ground again.  
"First lesson. Never rush in." she explained. "The entire Kyoshi warrior style relies on deflecting energy. That's why it was so easy for me to beat you. You just blundered in."  
"Ok," Sokka stood up and took a battle stance, waiting.  
She walked over and sized him up.  
_Legs spread too far apart, unbalanced, nice ass-_  
_-stop it!_ she shook herself, then spoke up.

"Your stance is too rigid, you have to be more fluid, like this." She stood behind him, aligning him to her body and working him through the motions.  
"Flow like water. That should be something you'll understand. Shift with the blows."  
He had fallen silent, and as she backed up she became aware of exactly how close they'd been. He was blushing furiously, but trying to hide it.  
"Alright, now I'm going to come at you, and you need to deflect my attacks like I showed you. Think fluid." she moved towards him with the fan, striking out slowly. He flowed with the movement and directed her away. She kicked out, and he dodged easily, starting to smile.  
_Alright, don't get cocky._ she thought, and sent out a flurry of feints, kicks and strikes. He faltered under the assault, but stayed standing. Starting to get frustrated, she lunged towards him, sending him to the ground finally, but he reached out and pulled her down with him.  
They crashed to the ground in a jumble of limbs with a huff.  
Sokka was on top of her and she couldn't move.

"Get off of me you idio- oh." In the fall his hair had fallen out of his wolf's tail and was down around his shoulders. He was struggling to get up, but had inadvertently made eye contact.  
The two stared at each other, and Suki's heart was beating far faster than it should have from the limited training. Uncomfortable with this new development, she spoke up.  
"Ex-CUSE me." she said, breaking his trance.  
"Oh... sorry!" he blustered, jumping off of her. The two looked away from each other.  
"Class dismissed?" Sokka asked.  
"Yeah. You're done."

* * *

**Aang**  
He sat down at the bar, fully intent on brooding the night away.  
_I can't believe so much has happened since I was gone. Ambushing visitors because they might be fire nation? That's not how things should be at all._  
His thoughts were interrupted by a girl sitting down next to him. He'd noticed a few of them following him around and was flattered by the attention, but he hadn't really been in the mood to talk.  
"You're the Avatar, right?" she asked, although it wasn't much of a question. He turned to her and smiled weakly.  
"Yeah, that's me." She giggled a little bit, and leaned over against him.  
"Must be amazing to be so important," she started, "people must be falling over themselves to please you."  
"Not really," he said, oblivious to her flirting,"I've just been trying to make do while we head north so I can learn waterbending."  
"Oh that's sooo amazing. Must be reaaally dangerous. I'm so glad we have you to protect us." she motioned for the bartender, mouthing _he's the Avatar._

"We'll I've been doing a pretty shitty job recently." he mumbled, but was interrupted by the drink that was thrust into his hands.  
"What's this?" he asked, sniffing the drink.  
"Oh a little Kyoshi special we have. Drink up." she tilted the cup to his protesting lips.  
Aang felt it burn its way down his throat but was immediately filled with a warm feeling.  
_I didn't realize it got this hot in the winter._

* * *

Following his 8th and 9th drink, Aang started to feel a little dizzy.  
"That's strange," he slurred, "do rooms in Kyoshi move a lot?"  
She was sober, but replied cheerfully, "Of course silly!" She snuggled up to him, putting his arm over her shoulder.  
"Huh." he said, "there are two of you now." She sighed, and decided it was time.  
"Do you want to go outside? I want to spend a little more personal time with you." He smiled dumbly, and got up, wobbling to the door beside her. She brought him out the door to the alley beside the bar and set him back against the wall. She got closer to him, looking up into his eyes. He barely had time to think before her lips were pressed against his, driving him back into the wall hungrily. Too drunk to do anything more than accept, he let himself get caught up in the woman in front of him.  
"Aang!"  
_Or the beautiful woman down the alley._

* * *

**Katara**  
Finally having finished with the group's errands, she had decided to meet up with Aang for a night of fun before they left in the morning, hoping to cheer him up before they moved on.  
This was not what she expected.  
Katara walked up just as the woman was detaching herself from the intoxicated monk. No longer supported, Aang slid to the ground, giggling to himself.  
With a pointed glare at the woman, who was slowly edging her way out of the alley, she picked Aang up and began to walk him back to their temporary home on the edge of town.  
_This might take a while._

* * *

When they finally made it to the outskirts of town Katara was exhausted.  
_Who knew an airbender could be so heavy?_ she thought, and opened the door, practically dragging the Airbender inside. He had been happily dozing on her shoulder by the time they got out of the alley, so it had been up to the waterbender to deal with the blob of limbs formerly known as the Avatar.  
Sokka was asleep in his room, so she dragged Aang through the halls and into his bedroom, dropping him down on the bed and sitting down next to him.  
_Damn it Aang, how much did you drink!_  
But she had trouble staying angry for long. He looked so peaceful now that he was asleep. She reached out to pat his shoulder and turned to actually get some sleep when she heard him.

"Nnnn... noooo... don't leave." he moaned, reaching out for her. She walked over to him, and sat down in front of him, whispering.  
"Aang, just go to sle-" he had reached out and hugged her, slowly pulling her towards his body like a teddy bear. With surprising strength for one so drunk, he pulled her in and snuggled up to her, letting out a satisfied hum.  
Finding herself surrounded by the airbender, Katara sighed. She wiggled with all her strength, but the monk's grip was like iron, and she only made him hum again.  
"Aang... Please... stop... ugh. Guess I'm sleeping here tonight." she nestled in and closed her eyes.

* * *

**Aang**  
_That night he dreamt he was home, before the war, but everything was slightly wrong. He was holding the girl of his dreams in his arms but couldn't see her face. Around him were the people who loved him, but they kept flickering, like candles about to go out. He heard a low chant vibrating throughout the world, going deeper and deeper as it began to slow._

_Everything began to dim as the chant turned into a low groan, and eventually he found himself in complete darkness, surrounded by the noise. As he turned, he saw two red eyes the size of Appa looking back at him. He turned, trying to run away, but couldn't, engulfed in the presence of the being. He tried to scream but water filled his lungs, and he closed his eyes, accepting his fate. But then, in the distance, he heard Sokka's voice. Clinging on to it he felt the water rushing away, felt the world brightening, felt himself coming back._ Waking up.  
Although back may not have been the best place to be.

* * *

**Sokka**  
He had woken up sore, but ready to face the day. The training with Suki had gone well and he was confident that he wouldn't be as useless in the next fight. With that in mind, he went to go wake up his sister and Aang.  
_But not at the same time._  
When he had walked in the blinds were closed and the covers pulled up over Aang's body.  
_Looks like he had a rough night_. he thought, but tore the sheets back anyway.  
And was greeted with the complaints of his sister.  
Curled up in the arms of the monk she had met 2 days ago was Katara. She was clinging onto Aang's arm, who had still not woken up.  
_HE'S DAMN WELL ABOUT TO!_

"WHAT THE HELL!" he shouted, causing Katara to leap out of bed, dragging Aang onto the floor on top of her. Still half asleep, he nuzzled her neck with a hum. Katara met Sokka's eyes.  
"Aang." she said.  
"Mmhmm?" he mumbled back.  
"Run!"  
Sokka jumped onto airbender, pushing him off his sister and onto the floor.  
"Sokka, no!" she shouted.  
"I'm gonna kill him!" he yelled.  
"AAAAAHHHHH!"  
"Avatar, we need your help!"

Sokka turned, looking at the messenger, hands still around Aang's neck.  
"Yes?" Aang squeaked.  
"A fire nation ship was spotted in the bay! We need your help!"  
Sokka looked down.  
"Did you sleep with my sister?" he asked, squinting.  
"N-n-no." The avatar replied.  
"Alright, you can go."

* * *

**Katara**  
She looked down across the bay, noticing the familiar metal warship of the fire nation as it came in to shore.  
She turned to Aang, who was perched atop a tree for a better vantage point and called up quietly.  
"Think we can take them?"  
He leapt down to the ground with a breeze.  
"From what experience I have with the Kyoshi's, they won't go down without a fight. Especially with Sokka there."  
The warrior had elected to fight with the non-benders, but had forgone the Kyoshi dress in favor of his tribe's traditional war paint.  
Now they were hidden in the trees, waiting for the soldiers to come.

The plan was simple. Ambush the soldiers as they came through the woods toward the village, and Aang and Katara would clean up stragglers.  
Now they just had to wait, watching the soldiers form up on the beach and march into the forest.  
Katara drew the water out of her hip flasks, forming them into 12 inch long ice blades in each hand. She looked at Aang, who had drawn his staff. He looked back.  
A scream rang out through the morning air, and it had begun.

The first fire nation soldier who got through the ambush stumbled out into the clearing leading up to the village and waited. A girl was walking up to him, a confused look on her face and hands behind her back furtively.  
"Out of the way, peasant." he rose a flame in his hand to emphasize his point. Katara was a bit more direct.

As the man lay bleeding on the ground, Katara signaled Aang.  
"Get ready to fight."  
And the men started coming.  
She was a blur, spinning through the ranks of the soldiers like a typhoon, dealing death with her twin ice weapons, which were constantly changing. First they were daggers, then Katara willed them longer until she was wielding two razor thin whips of ice. She caught a glance at Aang, who was jumping from man to man without touching the ground. At some point the remaining Kyoshi warriors joined in the fray, leaving no fire soldier untouched. And as soon as it had begun, it was over.

Katara breathed heavily, sheathing her whips and turning to face Aang. She was covered in the blood of fire nation soldiers, but somehow he had managed to stay clean throughout the fight. He gave her a hug, but was cut off by the man dying below them.  
"How sweet," he chuckled, coughing up blood, "but you'll learn soon enough."  
"What will we learn?" Sokka was on him in a flash. "Tell me and you can die quickly."  
"This was just the beginning, filth." he spat in the warrior's face."You don't know the hellstorm you've released on this place. ALL HAIL FIRE NATION!" he yelled, before Sokka slit his throat.  
Silence, and then Suki said what everyone was thinking.  
"What will we do?"

* * *

**Sokka**  
The rest of the day was spent in a daze.  
The dead were burned, 3 of the Kyoshi warriors. Now Sokka understood the tears of blood that each warrior carried on their face. When a warrior fell in battle, the red was washed from their face, signifying the blood that they had given in defense of the people.  
It's been rough on Suki.

This had been the first true battle anyone had seen in years, and the losses weighed heavy on the leader of the Kyoshi warriors.  
Sokka walked over to her, standing silent long after the funeral fires had stopped burning. He put an arm around her shoulder.  
"It's my fault." She sounded miserable.  
"No, it's not." he reassured. "You did everything you could to save them." he pointed to the wounds that covered home.  
"It still hurts," she said, "I still feel it."  
"And in the back of your mind you always will" he finished. "My dad is the leader of our tribe, and he always talked about how he'd sent men to their deaths. But he moved past it, because without moving past the sadness you can't ever be a true leader."

She looked up at him, tears in her eyes.  
"You know, for an idiot, you're pretty good at making a girl feel better."  
He smiled, looking down at her, and slowly pressed his lips to hers.  
She was tentative at first, but before long she was returning his affection with fervor. He strove to get closer to her, pulling her tight to his body, feeling his heart beating faster and faster in his chest.

She slowly pulled away, pausing to nibble on his lip before separating, still held in his arms. Both were blushing furiously.  
"I... we should probably get back..." she murmured, not wanting him to agree.  
"Yeah..." he sighed, then stepped back. "Want to go?" he offered.  
"Okay." she replied, angry at herself for suggesting it.  
The two returned to the village, wondering what could have happened.

* * *

**Katara**  
She laid awake, unable to deal with the thought of a fire nation fleet. Hopping out of bed, she went to Aang's room, and found him with a similar problem.  
"Can't sleep?" she asked.  
"Yeah, just can't stop thinking about tomorrow. And if I sleep I'm sure I'll have that dream again."  
"What dream?" she asked.  
"Well I picture myself deep underwater, and these huge eyes are looking at me. And I hear this deep moaning.."  
"A deep moan?" she asked. "That's weird, I had a moment like that too. When we were flying over that trench."

She and Aang looked at each other.  
"Do you think it means anything?" he asked.  
"Well you are the Avatar, and it wouldn't be the first time you've seen something in a dream."  
"So what does that mean?" he asked, already knowing the answer.  
"There's something down there."

* * *

It was the morning of the battle, and a mist rose off the sea, obscuring anything more than a hundred yards offshore.  
The forces of Kyoshi Island stood in the trees, watching the fog.  
A single ship came out of the mist. The warriors whispered excitedly.  
"We can take one!"  
And then the rest of the fleet appeared. 9 more ships came out of the void, all approaching the small cove.  
Katara gasped, then turned to Aang.  
"There's no way we can stop them." she whispered.  
"We can try."  
"There's another way." he looked at her, then nodded.  
"I'll get Appa."

* * *

She stood on Appa above the deepest part of the trench, having slipped over the fleet in the fog, hidden on Appa's white fur. Behind them they heard the telltale signs of battle preparations. Metal clanged, men shouted, and fires crackled. War was coming.  
Do what you have to do, Katara, I'll be here helping out. I need to be here.  
"Alright Katara, you can do this. Just need to try and enlist the help of a creature that lives in miles of water. No problem."  
She breathed deeply and listened, feeling the water around her as she slipped deeper and deeper into her craft.  
_Deeper and deeper, crushing darkness, no light at all._

And then she felt it. Something huge moving deep below her, and she heard it. The moan from before. Without thinking she sent out a pulse of water bending.  
_Here I am. _

She sensed it coming. She'd gotten it's attention, and she could feel it rising through the water, faster than she would have thought possible. As it rocketed towards the surface she was filled with her first genuine concern.  
_What if it's not gonna help us?_

And then Appa was thrown backward by a tidal wave of water as the beast broke the surface.  
It was a giant purple eel, with a head the size of a warship and teeth the size of a man. It opened its mouth, spraying water into the air and releasing that deep moan before coming eye to eye with Katara, who had urged Appa to face level with the beast.  
She looked at it, trying desperately not to show fear.  
The creature blinked, then looked past her to the fire nation ships in the cove.  
It roared, garnering the attention of every eye within miles, and dove into the water, surging towards the fire navy.

* * *

**Aang**  
He heard the roar, an all encompassing sound that resonated through the forest in which they were hidden. As they turned to each other they heard the first warship go down.  
A flash of purple, and the metal vessel exploded. Three more ships went down within seconds, and the leviathan burst from the water, calling a challenge to the remaining ships. The firebenders began to turn their ships, but were no match to the pure force of nature that stood against them.  
The battle was over in less than a minute.  
As the purple beast rose from the water once more, Katara rode out of the mist on Appa. She flew down to the creature's face and looked it once more in the eye.  
"Thank you." she said, and the creature retreated once more into the deep.

* * *

"The creature is called the Unagi, " the old man began, "and it has lived in the depths since the beginning of time. Its fate and Kyoshi's became intertwined when Avatar Kyoshi herself enlisted its help in defeating a great menace. But it hasn't been seen in over a century, and we feared that it had moved on." he turned to Katara.  
"It must have taken immensely powerful waterbending to summon the Unagi, and only those with the purest of intentions and the strongest of wills have ever gained its favor. We thank you for saving us, the great Katara!"  
A cheer rang out, and the crowd dispersed, tales of the waterbender already spreading like wildfire, leaving, once again, Suki, the old man, and the three travelers.

"I can not thank you enough." he said, to Aang and Katara. Suki and Sokka were having a conversation. "I wish you nothing but luck and speed on your journey." The two got on Appa, and turned to call for Sokka.  
Who was currently in a heated moment with Suki. The two younger ones turned away, hearing the old man's loud "AHEM!" and turning back as the two warriors separated.  
With a final embrace Sokka got on Appa, and waved goodbye.  
"Yip Yip" he said, looking back at the ground as Kyoshi Island slowly got smaller, until Suki was only a speck in the distance, and finally disappeared.  
And still he watched.

* * *

A/N: Lots of fluff this chapter, hope you all liked the break from non stop ruthlessness. Make your thoughts heard on anything I can make better, I'm always up for suggestions.


	5. Book 1, Chapter 5: Edge of Insanity

**A/N: And here comes chapter 5. Quick question for you all, what time of day is best to release these? I've been testing different times and just want to know what you guys think. Anyway, onto the story. Not as much fluff as that last chapter, and shorter altogether.**

* * *

**Book 1: The Return**  
**Chapter 5: Edge of Insanity**

* * *

**Sokka**  
"Remind me again why we're up here?" he shouted over the wind. Aang leaned down.  
"Chalk it up to bad life choices."  
Sokka took one look at the labyrinth of chutes and gulped, gripping their sled's steering mechanism. He turned to Aang, but the airbender was fiercely focused on the woman walking slowly out in front of the lines of people. Sokka looked left and right, sizing up their competition, and then the woman stopped.  
Silence.  
She raised her hand in the air, and Sokka tensed up.  
She dropped her hand.

* * *

_6 hours earlier_

* * *

**Katara**  
"Aang, are you sure we're headed the right way? The sun's going down and I we probably shouldn't be walking around in the dark." Appa was tired from the non-stop flying since Kyoshi and they had been walking for the past bit.  
"Yeah I'm sure. Omashu is just a little bit further." He sounded a less sure than when the sun had been up. Sokka didn't buy it.  
"Wouldn't we be able to see one of the largest Earth Kindom cities from a distance? Or is it just gonna pop up out of nowhere?"  
Aang disagreed.  
"It's located in the middle of a huge valley, we'll probably be almost onto it before we- WOAH!"  
Aang dropped out of sight before rising up on a ball of air.  
"We're here." he said, shakily pointing down.

The land suddenly ended in a sheer cliff that extended to the left and right as far as the eye could see, and in the fading light it was impossible to see the bottom. Cutting through the abyss was a small stone bridge, that extended from the outlying areas to the city of Omashu.  
_Spirits... it's so big!_  
Coming from the water tribes, Sokka and Katara had never encountered more than small villages. Sure, the Air temple had been sizeable, but Omashu made it seem like a toy house. It rose out of the valley on a plateau, a huge cone stretching into the sky. As the sun went down, it created a rippling system of shadows running across the rooftops, accentuated by the light of lanterns that were steadily flaring into existence.  
_They're like a whole new version of the Southern Lights! I can't believe its so beautiful! So many of those lanterns!_  
Sokka was equally dumbfounded.  
"Damn."  
_Sums it up pretty well._

Aang was already on the move, walking quickly toward the stone bridge that would give them access to the city.  
"I can't wait to go in! I used to come here to visit my friend Bumi. He was a bit off, but fun as hell and a great guy. The people of Omashu are known for their hospitality." he looked towards the gates of the city, where a group of people were conversing.  
"There's a fee for passing after dark." A group of guards were standing in front of an man with a cart.  
"I don't have any money!" the man shot back,"I'm here to sell my cabbages! If you want money, come back when I've sold my damn produce!"  
"I sense some disrespect," the guard started, "maybe you'll learn some looking for your cabbages!" He punched the earth, sending a column of rock under the cabbage cart, which flew into the abyss. The merchant was distraught, and turned to the guard.  
"My cabbages! You'll pay for this!" he yelled, and walked away from the city, passing the group muttering to himself. Sokka looked to Aang.

"So much for their hospitality. How are we going to get in?" Aang shrugged, scanning the city, thinking for a way in.  
_I know_, Katara thought, and pulled her ponytail out, letting her hair fall down her back. She was halfway through taking off her cloak when Sokka interrupted her.  
"Um, Katara, now is not the time for an outfit change."  
She finished taking off her cloak and took off her fur pants, before setting herself and walking off.  
"Kata- Oh my." she heard Aang gasp behind her.

Her costume change had left her in her skin tight undershirt and tights, both of which left nothing to the imagination. She continued down the path, adding a little sashay to her walk. As she neared the guard station she flipped her hair, before calling out in a sweet voice.  
"Excuse me? Is there anybody home?" she clasped her hands and stood waiting. Sure enough, the guards popped out.  
"Oh thank the spirits!" she cried out, before rushing over and hugging the lead soldier.  
_And so it begins._

"Thank you so much for being here! I got lost in the woods with my friends! We're from the water tribe and its soooo strange out there!" the soldier straightened up.  
"Well you're safe now." he said with a wink, and not so subtly looked her up and down. Katara could feel 5 sets of eyes boring into her.  
_Fucking pigs._

"Oh I know," she said, batting her eyelashes. "I never knew that earth kingdom men got soooo strong." she touched his arm.  
"I was just wondering if me and my friends could go into the city. Its sooo cold out there in these clothes." She squeezed her arms together in front of her for emphasis, watching as the men practically drooled, staring at her chest.  
_Rule 1 of the Woman Code, use all of the weapons in your arsenal._

"Of...of course! It would be chest... I mean best, for you to come inside... the city!" he rambled, still ogling her.  
_Fucking hell! Are all men like this?_ she thought, although she filed this experience away for later.  
The man signaled for the gates to be opened. The stone walls shifted under the power of bending and parted to reveal the streets of Omashu. By now Aang and Sokka had overcome their stupor and joined her to hurry through the gates. As Katara left, she felt one of the men make a clumsy grab at her backside.  
_OH YOU DONE FUCKED UP NOW!_  
She turned to the man, who shamelessly continued to look her up, and stepped closer. He took this as the opportunity to try and grab her again.

Katara made sure he wouldn't have children.  
As she walked away, watching the man groan on the ground as his pants began to grow red, she thought logically.  
_He wouldn't be a good dad anyway._

* * *

**Aang**  
It was all starting to come back. Running through the streets with Bumi trying hopelessly to get women to notice them. Getting into all sorts of trouble with the law. Sled racing.  
_Sled racing!_  
He immediately set a course for the highest point in the city, leaving the water tribers to hurry to catch up.

"Where are we going Aang?" Sokka panted, as they climbed yet another set of stairs.  
"We've gotta get there before its too late to enter." he called back, taking entire staircases at a time. He turned a final flight and stopped. It had been 100 years, but these races were still around.  
"Enter what?!" Katara asked, breathing heavily. Aang pointed to a man sitting under a small, dingy sign that said "Produce" and walked over. He began to talk, ignoring Sokka's "We're buying vegetables?"

"You have room in the race tonight?" he asked quietly. The man looked him up and down.  
"Yeah, one spot left. Depends on who's asking." he gave Aang a pointed glare.  
"Doesn't matter who's asking," Aang started, "we've got the money to wager up front." he whipped out his money pouch, dropping 15 gold pieces on the table.  
_Sure that was money for food and Avatar stuff, but we can make an exception._  
The man looked at him once and chuckled.  
"Some rich kid coming to town trying to break into the race circuit? Fine by me. Team name?" he asked, pulling out a grizzled notepad.  
"Horizon." Aang said, thinking about he and Bumi's team name.

_"We looking good Bumi?"_  
_"'Course Aang, when aren't we looking good."_  
_"I mean in the race, anyone to worry about?"_  
_"No, a few guys who are pretty aggressive, but nothing team Horizon can't handle."_  
_As the countdown began, the two shouted together._  
_"Yip yip motherfuckers!" and shot off down the chutes._

The man burst out laughing.  
"You taking the name of the greatest team of all time newbie? Suit yourself, but don't expect that to go over well with the other teams." he held out his hand.  
"But you've got yourself a spot."

* * *

**Sokka**  
"What did you just sign us up for?" he asked, as Aang walked back over to them.  
"The midnight runs. Sled races. I used to do them back with my friend Bumi. We were pretty good, and I love doing them, so I thought I'd bring show you guys the tradition." He said it like it was the most obvious decision in the world.  
"What are sled races? I don't see snow anywhere..." he started, and Aang did a double take.  
"You haven't heard about the chutes of Omashu?" he asked, befuddled. Sokka shot him a look.  
"We've spent our entire lives on a block of ice during a global war. Sorry we haven't exactly picked up much culture. Pray tell what you got us into."

"Well you probably saw them from outside the city and just didn't notice them. There's a hole system of slides and sleds that people in the city use to transport goods and messages. Earthbending brings the stone sleds up, and gravity brings them down. Only we found a different way to use the chutes a long time ago. At night, at the top of the city, there are races through the chutes, and the winners get a prize. The king doesn't really like it, but that's why they're at night. Me and Bumi were some of the best racers." he finished with a huff, and walked off again.  
"Now where are you going?" Katara asked.  
"To get our sled."

* * *

"This is it?" Sokka asked. It was little more than a box with runners on the bottom.  
"Yep." Aang patted it proudly, and started to explain the rules.  
"There are 8 racers, one driver and one bender. So you, cause Katara's a bender. Winner is the one who reaches the bottom first. Start at the signal. And... well thats about it." he trailed off.  
"Wait, so we're going to be riding down stone chutes at high speeds, while people are bending rocks at us? And there's no rules? Why would you do that?"  
"The 100 gold prize." Aang said. Sokka stopped, and considered.  
"I do understand the value of money." he straightened up and patted Aangs shoulder.  
"I'm ready!"

* * *

"I'm so not ready!" Sokka looked down at the chutes as they carried their sled to the starting line. Not having the luxury of earthbending, they were the last to arrive. A few of the racers were talking off to the side while Aang and Sokka checked over the sled, but one group walked up.  
"I heard you guys are called guys think you're good enough for that name? Bullshit. You can't even earthbend. What the hell? We'll wait for you at the finish line newbies."  
Sokka turned to Aang.  
"Who are these Horizons that everyone keeps mentioning. They must have been pretty damn good at racing if everyone is fussing so much over our name." he looked to Aang.

"Me and Bumi." Aang said. "That's where Horizon comes from, its where the earth meets the sky. I told you, we were good."  
Wow, this kid got around the world. I wonder what else he did.  
Sokka's musings were cut short by the approach of the woman.  
They looked down the line at their competition. Benders were standing, bracing themselves, and drivers were crouched over.  
She dropped her hand, and Aang shot them forward with a blast of air, over the edge.  
_DAMN IT AANG!_

* * *

**Aang**  
It was all coming back to him, the rush of wind as he pushed them faster and faster, the subtle adjustments of his balance on the rocking sled, the first volleys of earth as the battle heated up.  
_Don't worry about them yet._ he thought, and kept pushing them faster.

* * *

**Katara**  
_Men._ she thought with disapproval.  
She was standing at the finish line, looking up at the beauty that was the lit skyline of Omashu.  
_So peaceful._ she thought.  
"Swerve left! Duck! Shit! Take that bitches! F with us! Sokka look out!"  
_Or not._

* * *

**Aang**  
He remembered why this was so fun. They were nearing the finish line inches ahead of those assholes from earlier. He looked at Katara, who was wide eyed as they came down the final stretch and straightened up.  
_WHACK!_

The rock nearly knocked him out of the sled and left him dazed, but Sokka's shrill screams pierced through the haze.  
"EEEEEEEEEEE!"  
There was a rock directly in front of them. With no time to think, Aang slammed the ground with all his strength, shooting them into the air, over the rock, and past the finish line.  
And straight into a group of guards.

* * *

**Katara**  
She had seen the boys fly across the finish line and jumped up into the air, running over to congratulate them.  
"Hey, that's the girl that took out Song!" one shouted, while the others lifted Aang and Sokka off the ground. Katara tried to play it cool, recognizing the men who had been on gate duty.  
"Um... uh..." she looked at the boys, and grabbed her pouch of water. "RUN!" she threw the water at the men and took off into the streets followed closely by Aang, Sokka, and a group of sexually frustrated guards.  
_Why do I always have men chasing me?!_ she thought, then smiled, realizing what she'd just complained about.  
_Damn I'm good._

Midway through her self congratulations she was pulled sideways into an alley along with Aang and Sokka.  
"Hey, What gives!" she shouted at the masked man in front of her.  
"The Lord of the Underground requests your presence." he said calmly. "And unless you wish to spend the rest of your life in the dungeons of Omashu, I suggest you come with me."  
She looked to the boys, who were still hyped up from the race, and made a call.  
"Alright we'll go."

* * *

**Aang**  
They were lead deep into the heart of the city, and into the tunnels.  
_People didn't live down here when I visited Bumi_. he thought, but kept walking.  
Before long they reached their destination, eliciting a gasp from all three of the visitors.  
"It's like a whole different city!" Katara gasped, and it was.  
People moved through a system of stone buildings, giving the newcomers dirty looks.  
"Keep moving, The Lord does not appreciate being kept waiting."

They kept walking, and Aang saw their final destination. It was a large building, but very simple, like someone had just dropped a box of earth onto the ground. Racers were hanging around outside the enormous gate, including the assholes from the race. Aang and Sokka glared, before stepping up to the huge door.  
"He will see you know," the man said, and earthbent the door open.

Aang stepped in, looking around, ready to fight at any moment.  
Except there was nothing but a table filled with food and an old man reclining in his chair.  
"Why hello there." he said, standing. "Please, sit down. Any racers with such rare skill are welcome at my table." Sokka immediately took his seat and began to dig in. Aang and Katara were a bit more reserved, but sat down anyway.  
"So what brings you to Omashu?" he asked cheerfully, sitting down and beginning to cut his meat.

"Oh, you know..." Aang started, "Just passing through."  
"And you stopped to join in on illegal races in the dead of night? On an island of earth in the middle of an abyss? And intentionally harmed some of the guards? Doesn't seem very well planned." he waggled a piece of meat in their direction on the end of his knife. "I can't help but notice something strange about you. You didn't earthbend, but you beat the current favorites of every race. I'll tell you, the betters were not happy about this match. And that name... Horizons... I haven't heard that name used in a long time." Aang struggled to find an answer.

"Well, I guess we've got good reflexes?" he stuttered, and the Lord looked at them.  
"Hmmm, good reflexes." he stroked his chin with the steak knife.  
And threw it straight at Katara.

Aang shot a wave of air out, deflecting the knife so that it slammed into the wall behind them. He rounded on the old man, but found himself surrounded by guards.  
"The boy is wanted by the fire nation. Capture him and kill the others." he turned to leave.  
Aang blasted the men back with a wall of air and grabbed the siblings, running forward at the old man, ready to put this killer in his place.  
He was smacked by a wall of earth larger than any he'd seen before.  
As he slowly got up he heard a deranged laugh coming from the old man.  
"Oh, hee hee. You won't get to me that easily." the man turned and thrust out his fists, slamming the water tribers into the ground with walls of earth. The soldiers were on them before Aang could do anything, pulling Katara and Sokka to their feet and drawing their blades.  
"No." Aang whispered, feeling power rush through him.

* * *

**Katara**  
She closed her eyes, waiting for the sharp pain that would signal the end.  
It never came. She opened her eyes and saw the soldiers on the ground, suffocating. Aang was bending the air out of their lungs. Katara and Sokka could only watch as the men writhed in pain, desperately trying to breathe, and then they went limp.  
Aang turned to the Lord of the Underground, rising up into the air and rushing towards him. The man kept laughing, even when no sound came out of his mouth. He slowly started to fade, falling to his knees, and whispered something.

* * *

**Aang**  
"Yip Yip Motherfuckers."  
That one phrase brought Aang back to reality, falling on the ground next to the old man.  
"Bumi?" he panted.  
"Of course."

* * *

"Why would you do that? They're my friends. I could have killed you. You could have killed them! Why Bumi?" he couldn't understand why this had happened. Bumi spoke softly.

"A lot has changed in the time since you left Aang. The days when we used to race through the chutes are over. The people in power here are willing to do anything to keep out the fire nation, and put all their power into living during the war. I lead the people who still remember the life without the war and want to end it."  
But the fact of the matter is, anyone can kill you, and anyone will turn you in to the fire nation. I know its a hard lesson to learn, but you hadn't seemed to grasp the gravity of what has happened in the world." he patted Aang on the shoulder. "But you have a great pair of companions to help you on your way."

Sokka took this opportunity to jump in.  
"Yeah! Go us!"  
Katara rolled her eyes.

* * *

**Katara**  
They were on the edge of the territory ruled by Bumi, and were saying their goodbyes.  
Aang hugged Bumi, who was giving him one last bit of guidance.  
"Keep going North to master waterbending. Its the first step in fulfilling your destiny. And give some firebenders hell for me, will you?" he winked at Aang, who grasped Bumi's arm.

"Stronger than Steel" he started.  
"Lighter than Air" Bumi continued  
"Face the Horizon if you dare" Aang added, and the two smiled, finishing.

"Yip Yip Motherfuckers."

**A/N: Definitely one of the less exciting chapters, but the next few are gonna be pretty intense.**


	6. Book 1, Chapter 6: Spark of Defiance

A/N: Last chapter was one of the slower ones, but this one more than makes up for it. One of my favorites so far.

* * *

**Book 1: The Return**  
**Chapter 6: Spark of Defiance**

* * *

**Katara**  
_Finally, some peace and quiet._  
Following their 24 hour adventure in Omashu, the group was getting some much needed rest on Appa.  
_Aang's still a little bit out of it though_. she thought. Any good that defeating the fire navy on Kyoshi had done towards convincing him he wasn't a failure had been lost during his conversation with Bumi.  
_I bet I'll be able to cheer him up_. she thought deviously, shuffling towards him. All of the recent male attention had gone a little bit to her head.  
"HELP!"  
_Or not._ she thought, and held on tightly as Appa lurched into a dive. Finally paying attention to her surroundings she looked around. They were in the middle of a vast forest, greenery stretching out for miles. Rising towards them was a large outcropping, cutting upward into the sky like the fin of a viper-shark.  
As they circled closer to the ground they saw where the cry had come from. Cut into the base of the rock structure was the entrance to a tunnel, or what used to be a tunnel. It had collapsed on an old man. Appa touched down, and Aang leapt into action.  
"Katara, try and find some help! Sokka, you're with me, we've gotta get him outta there!" They split up.  
Katara rushed into the woods, calling for help.  
"There's someone trapped! We need all the help we can get." She thought she saw a flash of green in the woods and stopped.  
Why would they be hiding? There it is again!  
Katara ran forwards and grabbed the bundle of clothing, pulling its owner along with it.  
"We've got to go help, an old man is trapped!" She explained, not even bothering to see who she'd grabbed.

They burst back into the clearing and stopped. The old man was slowly being buried under the pile of rubble. Katara turned to her captive.  
He was tall, taller than Sokka, and wore a simple green tunic and pants. His brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail.  
_And look at that moustache._  
Katara's shameless analysis was interrupted by the man, who spoke with a deep voice.  
"Do you need my help or what?"  
"Yes! We really need an earthbender to help us!" The man recoiled at the word, but straightened up and ran over to the man, whose head was the only thing left uncovered.  
"Please." he implored, as the sand slowly covered his face despite Sokka and Aang's best efforts. The earthbender breathed deeply, took a stance, and lunged forward, blasting the debris far into the tunnel.  
"YAY!" Katara shouted, and turned to thank the man. But he was running away.

_That's strange_. she thought, and started to follow him. Aang and Sokka helped the man to his feet before jogging after her.  
"Why are we following a strange earthbender through the woods?" Sokka asked, but Katara dismissed him.  
"There'll be a village somewhere, and we've only got so much food." she kept walking.  
_Plus there might be something more to it._

* * *

**Sokka**  
He didn't like it. Not one bit.  
Sokka had always been a little suspicious of new people. He learned to be suspicious after what happened in the South Pole before he was born.  
They used to get visitors, lots of traders coming to visit despite the fact that there was a war going on.  
Money makes the world go round. he thought bitterly. The people that came were usually friendly, bringing tales of the world that the children listened to with eager ears. But every once in awhile they would ask questions. Questions that seemed innocent, like "You guys bend water right?" or "I wish someone could help me get this spill off my clothes."

But they were all ruses.  
The fire nation had sent them to find out if there were any waterbenders left, and each time there was even the possibility of success, the fire nation would raid. Every time they took more waterbenders, until eventually there were none left. The tribe started turning away the traders, and eventually they became completely isolated. It was really for the best.

But Katara was changing. Ever since Aang had gotten out of the iceberg she had been a lot more trusting of new people. And now they were following a strange man through a forest because Katara said so.  
_Optimist_. he thought with a huff.

They continued onward for a while, and the sun was starting to drop in the sky before they got to the village. The earthbender slipped into town quickly, followed by the 3 travelers. They walked onto the main street of town, looking quickly through the crowds, trying to find this mustachioed man.  
Then they heard the rhinos.  
A large groan echoed throughout the town square, which immediately cleared. Before Sokka could look up he was dragged into a shop, and the door was slammed.  
"What the hell?" he started, but was quickly shushed. It was the man from before. Katara piped up.  
"Why are we in here? Why did you not stay to help that man? Your earthbending was-" she was cut off by grown woman coming out of the back of the shop.  
"Haru! You earthbent!" she hissed, and Katara jumped back in.  
"Amazing." she finished. "Why do you make it seem like a bad thing?"  
Then the soldiers began to speak.

"Glad to know that the filth knows its place, right?"  
"y-yes" a shaky voice replied.  
Aang looked outside, followed by Sokka. A girl in tattered clothes was surrounded by soldiers.  
"It's a shame such a lovely little thing comes from these savages." he said flippantly.  
"y-yes sir, it's a shame." she mumbled, looking at the ground.  
"LOOK AT ME WHEN I TALK, FILTH!" the leader backhanded her across the jaw, and she collapsed in a heap. He laughed.  
"This is yet another warning of what will happen if you defy us. Take your pathetic whore back." he kicked her.  
"Thats it." Aang spat, and moved to the door. He was stopped by the woman.  
"No, you can only make it worse by fighting. At least now she will not die." she pointed to the women that came out to care for the unconscious girl.  
"HAIL FIRE NATION!" The men shouted, and walked away, mounting their rhinos and leaving.

Aang turned to the woman.  
" Why do you just let them do this?! Why are you so angry that Haru earthbent?!What's going on here?!" he was breathing heavily. The woman suddenly looked very tired, and sat back against a chair.  
"I guess you would have taken him already if you were going to." she said, looking at Haru. Katara interjected.  
"What do you mean? Take him? Why would we do that?" she seemed more and more confused. The woman just sighed, motioning for them to sit.  
"I guess I can tell you all of it."

"It all started a few years back." she started. "The soldiers started to show up, started to start making attacks. We were better than them though. The local warriors and earthbenders, lead by Tsun, my husband and Haru's father." she nodded towards Haru, who looked down. "The fire nation started to get bolder. They were attacking more often, but we were still on top. After a while they stopped, and we thought we'd won, thought we'd managed to cause them more trouble than we were worth."

She shook her head in disgust.  
"We were dead wrong. They'd left us to bring more reinforcements, to bring an army. I still remember the day it happened. I was out with Haru and Tsun when the cry went out. The fire nation was coming. Tsun kissed us both goodbye and went to lead the soldiers. It was a slaughter. The streets ran red with blood that day, but Tsun was captured. We thought they'd use him for a hostage, but he was brought to the center of the town and thrown on top of the bodies of his comrades. They burned him alive, melted him in the bones of the men he'd lead.

Sokka looked at Aang, who was staring at the ground. It was hard for him to hear this, especially so soon after losing Gyatso.  
_It's not your fault Aang_. he thought, but the woman was continuing her story.

"When he died he was silent, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of knowing he'd broken us. It wasn't too little. We couldn't stand up to them, and no one wanted to die in vain. They'd killed our leader, and our spirit along with it. Once they had control of us they made sure we wouldn't lose control. They outlawed earthbending, and took all of our warriors away. No one has ever returned. That's why no one can ever know that Haru is an earthbender. They've taken everything, but they will not take him." She finished with anger.  
"I know you want to help, but there is nothing left to save here. It would be in everyone's best interests if you left as soon as possible." she sighed, and sat back. Aang went over to talk to her, and Katara grabbed Haru.  
_Hmmm, fate of the world Avatar stuff? Or talking with a new person?_  
Sokka walked over to Haru and Katara.  
"I can't believe how it must feel to not be able to bend," she was saying, "its such an important part of me that I couldn't comprehend living without it." Haru looked down.  
"Yeah, its a little hard to deal with. Every once in awhile I get out to practice. That's what I was doing when you found me." he said. Sokka patted him on the shoulder.  
"Hey, I manage just fine."  
Haru smiled weakly.

Aang finished his conversation with Haru's mother, bowing and turning to leave. He walked through the group and out the door.  
"We'll be staying in the barn on the outside of town. It'll have room for Appa. We'll leave in the morning." he kept walking.  
Haru waved goodbye as Sokka and Katara left, walking out of the fallen village.

* * *

**Katara**  
She couldn't sleep.  
Sokka was passed out, Appa was munching contentedly on his hay, and Aang was nowhere to be found. She got up, tiptoeing past her sleeping brother.  
_Not that I could actually wake him up._ she thought slyly.  
_Now, if I were an airbender, where would I be?_ she thought, searching the barn. Her eyes went immediately to the loft.  
_Bingo._  
She climbed up and found him leaning against a hay bale, a bottle of earth kingdom whiskey in hand.  
"Where'd you get that?" she asked, walking up and sitting down next to him.  
"Earlier this afternoon," was his response. He offered her the bottle, which she took.  
"Is something wrong?" she asked, passing it back to him.  
"A little," he said. "Everything just feels so wrong. I'm supposed to be keeping balance in the world. The town living in fear, that's not balance. I'm just a little lost."

"Aang, I don't know how many times we have to say it, but it's not your fault." she took another drink. "The world was plenty fucked up before you came along, and look at the good we've already done. Look at Kyoshi."  
He smiled and paused, thinking.  
"Everything happens for a reason?" he asked.  
"Of course," she shot back. The powerful whiskey was starting to hit her, and she could tell from the flush on Aang's face that it was affecting him too. She continued.  
"And look at all the things you did for me and Sokka. If it weren't for you, I'd still be in the water tribe wasting the days away. You've given me a chance to see the world." Aang brightened up.  
"Tell me about what it was like 100 years ago," she said, scooting in closer to him, "Tell me what the world was like."  
That was all it took, and Aang launched into a series of stories about life all around the world. Katara could feel his energy through the tales, could almost see the amazing places he'd been. They talked for almost hours, comparing stories from their childhood and laughing like old friends. Before long they had drained the bottle of whiskey and were laying down next to each other in the hay and looking up at the stars.

"So beautiful..." Aang murmured.  
"Yeah." Katara responded, then giggled.  
"When you get angry, you look like a star..." she mumbled, to no one. He laughed, and turned to face her.  
"You, my friend," he said, poking her in the nose, "are most definitely drunk." She stuck her tongue out.  
"Well you're the one who spent 5 minutes trying to say 'rabbaroo'."  
He laughed and looked at her, and she realized how close they actually were.

He was looking at her with his deep gray eyes, and she could feel his body heat. Her heart started to beat faster, as she felt his breath on her face. She looked at him, inching closer and closer until they were inches apart. She leaned forward, eyes closed.  
And nuzzled him with her nose, giving him a "water tribe kiss" and then hugged him, feeling his arms wrap around her, playing with her hair. The rhythm of his breathing, combined with the slow stroking of her hair and the copious amounts of alcohol left her giddy and breathless. She pulled him closer, hearing his breath hitch at the contact, and snuggled up.  
"Good Night Katara."  
"Good Night Aang."  
"Love you" he breathed, out of reflex.  
"What?" she was almost gone.  
"Nothing." he said, and she closed her eyes.

* * *

**Aang**  
_I could get used to this_. he thought slyly, extricating himself from the warm tangle of limbs that was Katara. He sat on the balcony, looking across the misted forest. The sun was rising  
"Everything feels so right." he thought aloud. "How can something so beautiful have so much wrong with it?"  
He turned back to Katara.  
_She'll probably be out for a few more hours,_ he thought, putting a blanket over her,_ that was some strong stuff, and she doesn't exactly have much experience._  
He thought back to the previous night, chuckling at how funny she was drunk. And snuggly.

_I should probably get a little more before we head out today._ he thought, scribbling a quick note to Katara, then grabbing his glider and leaping off the balcony.  
He dropped through the air, feeling that little bit of a rush before he snapped it open and took off into the sky. It used to take effort to bend the wind into his glider and fly, but he had gotten to the point where it was second nature. He looped up into the sky, leaving a misty trail before diving back into the fog. As he neared the village he snapped his glider shut, dropping to the ground lightly.  
He walked the rest of the way to the village, intending to get in and out without too much trouble. The town was starting to get moving, people walked past him in the streets without looking at him.

_They really have lost the will to fight._ he thought, turning into the shop and calling for Haru, or his mother.  
_I really need to learn her name_. he confessed, looking up as she walked in.  
He knew from the pained expression on her face what had happened, and ran out of the shop.

* * *

**Katara**  
She woke up with a headache.  
_Damn it Aang! Getting me hungover!_ she rolled over to give him her a piece of her mind, only to find a note on the hay.

_Sorry for the hangover._  
_Drink lots of water and sleep._  
_Grabbing some things from town_  
_Also scared of Sokka._  
_Aang_

"You son of a bitch." she said muttered, rolling over and closing her eyes.  
"Hey!" the airbender said, coming down to land on the balcony.  
"Well you are..." she groaned from the floor.  
"My heritage doesn't matter right now! Haru's been taken!"  
_Oh no._

* * *

They were standing back in the shop, but noticeably missing Haru. His mother was choking back tears, but her eyes were already swollen from so many.  
"What happened?" Sokka started, the latest one to the situation.  
"Last night at midnight Haru was taken. They came to the door with some old man who'd said he'd seen Haru earthbend. You wouldn't know anything about that would you?"  
Katara looked to the floor.  
"It was me, I got him to earthbend. It was to save that old man from a collapsed mine." she said hurriedly. His mother glared at Katara.  
"That old man has been fire nation for years. It would have been better to let him die." she hissed, and Katara continued studying the floor.

Aang hung his head, breathing heavily, tears coming to his eyes.  
"When will it stop?!" he started. He was shaking violently.  
"I can't take it! These people are getting hurt! They're dying! IT'S POINTLESS!" His eyes flashed, and he started shaking his head like he'd swallowed something awful, falling to his knees shaking.  
"Aang!" Katara rushed to him. He looked up at her, his eyes blank, eyes blinking rapidly.  
"I need to go!" he yelled, and stumbled out of the shop, slamming into the door on his way out.  
"What the hell?" Sokka asked.

* * *

_The old man walked down the path towards his home, when a young boy dropped down in front of him._  
_"Why did you turn Haru in?" the boy asked. "He saved your life and you couldn't spare him?"_  
_The man brushed past him roughly, laughing._  
_"Those savage earthbenders, thinking we would spare them. The fire nation shows no mercy to her enemies."_  
_"Then perhaps we will show you the same kindness." _  
_The man spun around, but the boy was gone. He looked for the voice, backing away. _  
_"Where the hell are you?!" he yelled, backing up. The night seemed colder, all light was slowly disappearing, and he could feel his head starting to spin. _  
_Then he saw it. A silhouette against the dying sunlight, a glowing visage slowly making its way towards him._  
_"What... What are you?"_  
_The creature blinked, lifting the man slowly into the air._  
_"We are balance." it said, with the voice of thousands._  
_"The... The Avatar! Please, spare me! I beg of you!" The eyes were boring straight into him._  
_"The earthbender begged too, I assume. Perhaps I will make the end slow. It would only be fitting to honor your nations customs." it trailed off._  
_"Please, I'll, I'll tell you anything!"_  
_"Or perhaps a quick end. This body is young and powerful."_  
_"The earthbenders, they're on a rig in the middle of the ocean! The boat leaves to bring them there every week. Please!" _  
_The shadow looked at him, meeting his eyes._  
_"The world will have balance." _  
_The man collapsed._

* * *

**Katara**  
It was late when Aang stumbled back into the barn, breathing heavily and still shaking a little.  
"Where'd you go?" she asked, jumping up and helping him down and leaning him against Appa.  
"I know where they take the prisoners." he gasped, settling back against the bison, "They're held out in the ocean, and boats leave for there every week. Don't know how we'll get them off though."  
"How do you-"  
"-don't ask. Please."  
She looked at him, then sighed.  
"When do the boats come in?" she asked, a plan forming in her head.  
"A group is coming in tomorrow." he gasped, weakly trying to get up and failing. He laid back once more.  
"We've gotta move fast if it'll work." she said calmly.  
"If what's gonna work?" Sokka said, walking into the room.  
"I'm going to get arrested by the fire nation."

* * *

**Sokka**  
"What?!" he yelled.  
_I leave her alone for one hour and she decides to do what?_  
"We need someone on the inside, and the only way to not raise suspicion is for me to actually get arrested."  
"You say that like its the simplest thing in the world. You realize what they do to their prisoners? What they did to that girl?" he let the threat hang in the air. Aang broke the tension.  
"I'm not too happy about it either Sokka, but it seems like the only way to help them."  
Sokka looked at them both.  
"So we don't help them!" he shouted. "We just don't have the manpower! I know you're the avatar, but as a team we've got one airbender, one half trained waterbender, and one warrior. How are we going to succeed where who knows how many earthbenders failed?!" he breathed heavily, looking at Katara and Aang.  
Katara spoke up angrily.

"How can you turn your back on these people?!"  
"Because more people will die if Aang doesn't master the elements." he fired back. They were glaring at each other, eyes wild, when a weak voice spoke up.  
"Sokka, I know it's dangerous. Katara your brother has a point. Now stop bickering and figure out a plan to help these people." he was pleading at this point. "I've said it before and I'll say it again, I will not stand by and watch this happen." he closed his eyes. "Please... figure something out."  
Sokka turned to Katara, and sighed.  
"You feel strongly about this?" he asked, already knowing the answer.  
"Incredibly. Its my fault he's in there, so it's my responsibility to get him out."  
Sokka looked around for a bit.  
"We'll get to sleep, we've got a big day ahead of us."  
Katara ran over and hugged him.  
_What can I say, I'm a softie._

* * *

**Aang**  
He woke up flying on Appa.  
"What the? How did?" he stuttered.  
"We're on Appa. Thought it was better if you slept, cause its gonna be a long, long day." Aang looked around.  
"Where's Katara?" he asked worriedly. Sokka didn't look back.  
"She's about to get herself arrested." he said simply. Aang jumped up.  
"How long was I out?!" he yelled. Sokka looked back at him.  
"A while. You... you _changed_ again didn't you."  
Aang sat back.  
"Yeah, that's where I went when I left. I don't remember anything until I was almost back to the barn, and I just knew how to find the earthbenders. I've got flashes of stuff, like talking to that old guy, but nothing concrete." Sokka looked nervous.  
"That old man was found in the middle of the town crying this morning. He was yelling about 'forgiveness and vengeance' and rolling on the ground." he left the rest unsaid.

"I... I know its a part of being the avatar... but its scary." Sokka patted him on the back.  
"Yep. Have fun with that."  
Aang looked up and laughed.  
"So how long do we have to wait?" he asked.  
"Not long, Katara can handle herself. It'll be easy."

* * *

**Katara**  
_This was supposed to be easy._ she thought, pulling the stoppers on her water flasks.  
Can't waterbend! They'll know I'm not an earthbender!  
She swore, before drawing out a conventional hunting knife instead. It wasn't her usually armament, but it would have to do.  
_Thanks dad._  
She faced the soldiers.  
"C'mon pretty, no need to make this get ugly." The man brought fire to life in his hands.  
"Fuck you." she said, dropping lower into her fighting stance.  
"I'm sure that can be arranged." the man lunged forward, and Katara slipped to the side, driving her knife up into his ribs and twisting.  
"Sorry, I'm not your type." she whispered and let him slide to the ground.  
She had about 2 seconds to consider her victory when she was tackled to the ground by 3 men.

"You little Bitch!"  
"I'll fucking kill you!"  
"You don't know what you just brought on yourself!"  
Katara legitimately started to panic.  
_What if they don't want a prisoner?_  
Her thoughts were interrupted by a fist to the face, and she felt her knife being ripped away. She squirmed under the men, looking one in the face.

She'd seen that hunger before. Those crazy eyes that you'd see on the sailors before they took one of the women that roamed the waterfront.  
_No. No no no no no!_  
She fought harder, tears starting to come to her eyes.  
_This can't happen!_  
She looked up into the sky, seeing the shadow of a sky bison.  
_BWOOOOOO-oooooooooooooooooooo_  
Everything stopped.  
A commanding officer called out.  
"ALL MEN TO STATIONS!"  
"You're lucky, bitch." one of the men said, standing up.  
Katara breathed heavily, adjusting her clothes momentarily before being dragged to her feet.  
She looked up into the sky, meeting Aang's concerned eyes and nodding before Appa disappeared into the clouds.  
_That was way too close._

* * *

**Aang**  
_That was way too close._ he thought, sitting back on Appa's head.  
They had been following the transport ship from behind for a few hours, and Aang was still worrying about Katara. Sokka grunted at him from Appa's saddle.  
"How long until we get there?" Aang looked around.  
"I don't know. We're in the clouds right now, so it's not exactly perfect viewing conditions. Here, I'll go check."  
Aang leapt off the bison into the clouds, dropping down below the cloud cover.  
_Holy Crap!_  
They had reached the rig.

* * *

**Katara**  
She looked around, searching the sullen faces around her for some spark of anger, some shred of defiance.  
All she saw was defeat.  
The roar of the engines made it nearly impossible to hold conversation, so Katara had spent her entire ride worrying.  
_What if Haru's not here? What if Aang and Sokka get in trouble? What if-_  
Her train of thought was stopped by the lowering of the engines.  
We're here. she thought, and joined the stream of prisoners making their way onto the rig.  
_Its massive!_  
As she walked up the temporary plank she heard the sound of clanging metal resonating throughout the colossal metal structure. It towered into the sky, not unlike Omashu. A metal, death filled Omashu.  
_How pleasant_. She thought, setting herself._ Time to spark the rebellion._

* * *

The new prisoners were forced into a line on the main deck of the ship. Katara stood straight, jumping at the opportunity to show them they hadn't broken her.  
"Welcome to prison." A tall, bald man walked towards them.  
"But we like to think of it as more of a 'forced work vacation'." he smiled, eyeing up the new prisoners.  
"You will work and you will obey, or you will be burned." he turned to his soldiers, then closed his eyes and spun around, pointing. His finger landed on the man next to Katara, who was hit by a hellstorm of fire before he could move.

Katara gasped at the blackened body next to her, involuntarily yelping "You monster!"  
This caught the warden's attention. He strode up to her deliberately, pausing to cup her face in his hand.  
"Such a lovely face." he said, slowly heating his fingertips. She stared back at him, trying to ignore the pain running through her cheeks. "It would be a shame if anything happened to it." he sent a flash of fire into his fingertips, burning a layer of skin and bringing her to the ground screaming.  
"I assure you, any notions you have about monsters will be, shall we say, revised."  
He kicked her.  
"Have a most enjoyable stay."

* * *

**Aang**  
"Sokka don't!" he whispered, holding the warrior back with all his strength.  
"I'll fucking kill him. I'll rip his insides out!"  
"There's no way we can take them all." he implored. "Just find a way to free all these earthbenders and we you can get him later!"  
Sokka stopped, taking a deep breath.  
"Alright. How do we get hundreds of earthbenders off a metal rig in the middle of the ocean?"  
Aang stepped back, sitting down on an air vent.  
They had found a small platform towards the top of the rig and hidden Appa, before making their way down to observe the line up.  
"Beats me. They've got the manpower, they just need the earth." He looked down into the vents.  
_WHOOSH!_

Sokka looked at his newly darkened friend and laughed.  
"We'll Aang, you could be an honorary water triber." Aang glared at him.  
"Very funny Sokka." he pulsed air around himself, releasing the dust off of him. "At least it was just soot."  
The boys looked at each other, a smile coming to Sokka's face.  
"We may have found our earth."

* * *

**Katara**  
She stumbled into the prison yard, slumping against the wall and holding her head in her hands.  
"Katara?" a familiar voice said.  
"Haru!" she jumped up and hugged him, flinching away due to the pain in her face.  
"What happened?" he asked, pointing at the five burns on her face.  
"I stood up to the warden." she said, smiling. "He wasn't happy."  
But instead of congratulating her, he simply shook his head.

"There's no point fighting them. The only thing that will come out of it is pain." She looked at him incredulously.  
"You mean there's no plan to escape?" she asked. "Nothing we're doing to fight back?"  
He shook his head.  
"There isn't anything we can do Katara, there's no hope." The bell sounded, signaling the return to quarters. He turned to leave.  
"There is always hope." She said, steel in her voice. She turned and left.

* * *

His words reverberated through her head as she lay down in her bed. She rolled over, flinching at the touch of the cloth on her burned skin.  
_There's no hope._  
_No hope._  
_No hope._

"Psst! Katara!" she leapt up, seeing Aang floating outside her window. The windows on the rig were intentionally left open, a quick and easy escape from the life of incarceration via the 100 foot drop to the metal ground.  
"Aang!" she ran over to him, pulling him inside her room and hugging him.  
"I'm happy to see you too." he choked out. She released him from her bone crushing grip.  
"What have you guys learned?" she asked.  
"Well we may have found some earth for them to bend. Turns out there's a bunch of coal in the rig. That's what the fires are burning. Sokka figured out that the ventilation shafts lead all around, and right to the main deposit. So I can just blast it out the right shaft and we've got instant firepower. As long as they're ready to fight, we've got a great chance of pulling this off."

Katara looked down.  
"What?"  
She bit her lip.  
"I'm not sure how willing they are to fight. Haru has only been here a day and he already seems to have given up."  
Aang furrowed his brow.  
"Maybe if they have the earth..."  
"I don't know Aang. Maybe it is a hopeless situation..." She hung her head.

Aang cupped her chin, looking into her eyes.  
"Hey, like a wise person once told me, there is always hope."  
She looked up at him, smiling and giving him another water tribe kiss.  
"Thanks Aang." she said.  
"Now we just need a way to get everyone out into the yard."  
She smiled devilishly.  
"Leave that to me."

* * *

**Sokka**  
_This is a stupid plan_. he thought, signaling to Aang. Aang waved back and dove into the vents.  
_It was relatively simple._ Katara would fight back. Sokka had overheard the men talking about how the warden loved to make examples of people, mentioning public executions.  
_So we're trying to get her executed by the fire nation just so we can throw some rocks at a trained force of elite warriors. Great plan._  
He scolded himself.  
_Never gonna work with that attitude._ he looked down at the yard, where Katara was milling around. She moved up slowly behind a few guards and nodded to Sokka.

She stabbed the guard in the back, leaping over his body and onto the table, getting another man with a swipe of her knife. She rolled onto the ground and stood up, ducking a man and driving her knife into his ribs. She spun like a dancer, pulling it out and throwing it into the throat of a man coming at her.  
_Glad Aang's not here to see this._ he said, watching the blood erupt onto his sister. Kid's got a weak stomach.  
_So does that guy!_  
He laughed at his joke, watching the man fall to the ground clutching his intestines in his hands.  
_Jeez, Katara's a dangerous one._  
But eventually it was too much, and she was overwhelmed by a tide of men. Still she fought, biting and kicking, until she was hit in the face by the butt of a spear.

Sokka winced, turning away from the beating his sister was receiving.  
When the men stepped away her hair was messed up, her nose broken and bleeding, and a series of bruises already starting to form on her face and body. She rolled over onto the ground and coughed up blood.  
"Oh bravo. Braaaaavo." a slow clapping came from across the yard. The yard fell silent, as the warden walked across the metal, boots clanging with every step.

"I must admit, you surprised me. I did not expect such an act of defiance from one so small and feeble." He walked to her, drilling her in the ribs with an aggressive kick. She fell to the ground with a yell.  
"However," he said, stomping her into the ground. "All things must come to an end." he said with another kick.  
"Tie her up." She was brought to her feet, moaning in pain. A line of men walked slowly towards her, stopping 5 yards away.  
"You can thank me now. Your suffering is at an end."  
A chuckle escaped from Katara's lips.  
"You laugh?" he asked amusedly. "Death makes the mind do strange things."

"You're right," she said, turning to face him. "Why don't you see for yourself?"  
_There we go!_  
Sokka banged the vent with his club, sending Aang the signal.  
"What are you talking about?" he asked once more, motioning for the men to light their fires.  
_RRRRRRRRRRRRRRR_  
The ground began to shake, accompanied by a loud clanging sound.  
Suddenly, a wall of black coal erupted from the vents, pooling into a small hill right behind Katara.  
"Earthbenders!" she shouted. "This is your chance! You have earth! Fight back! Take back your lives!" she turned to him, expecting a barrage of earth to erupt from behind her.  
It never came.

She turned to the prisoners, seeing only a sea of downtrodden faces, she met eyes with Haru, who looked away.  
"Fight!" she yelled, but the rig was silent. Except that slow clapping once again.  
"I have to admire your courage young girl, but these people were broken a long time ago."  
He laughed, motioning for the men to ignite once more.  
"Anything you have to say?" he asked amusedly.

"Yes," she said, steel in her voice. She turned as much as she could to the earthbenders.  
"What the hell happened to you?" she started. "When I was a girl I was told of the unbreakable spirit of the earth kingdom, how they would always fight to the end, would never give in. I was taught that they were the most fearsome warriors, the most protective families, and the most solid communities." she spat. "I guess that that's all bullshit."

"I came here to help you. I've been beaten, burned, had my ribs broken, almost killed, and damn near gotten raped try and bring something back to you. And how the fuck do you repay me? You're watching me tied to a post as I wait to die in an inferno, while your escape lies 15 feet away."

"So I'll die today. I don't care though, because if the world is filled with pathetic people like you, I don't want to live in it. At least I'll go out fighting, rather than huddled together like cowards." she turned away from them, head held high.  
"Do your worst." she spat, meeting his gaze. He chuckled.  
"Oh I will." he turned to give the order, but was hit with a ball of coal. He turned, coming face to face with Haru, who was twirling rocks in the air.  
"Oops." the earthbender said, and hurled another rock.  
And it had begun.

Katara breathed heavily, adrenaline finally wearing off. the pain hit her like a bull moose-lion, and she fell to the ground, only to feel Aang's light arms picking her up.  
She passed out.

* * *

**Aang**  
Aang leapt up into the sky, jumping up the rig like a jungle gym before depositing Katara in Appa's saddle. He patted the bison.  
"Keep her safe, will you?"  
Appa groaned, and Aang leapt off the side of the rig, seeing the battle unfolding beneath him.  
The earthbenders were fighting back full force, storming the ranks of the fire nation soldiers and scattering them. Aang surveyed the battlefield, looking for any help he could provide. In the corner of his eye, he saw the warden making for a ladder, and beyond that, a boat.

He thought back to all the things this man had done, especially to Katara.  
_Oh no you don't_. He steered down towards the warden, coming to a stop on the top of the wall and waiting.  
The man was making his way up quickly, as the mass of earthbenders behind him quickly made ground up. He smirked, releasing a jet of fire and melting the bars beneath him. He continued climbing, reaching for the top of the wall.  
And looking up at Aang.

The man blasted fire at Aang, who deflected it and put his staff to the man's throat.  
"Who are you to think you can stop me?" the man asked. Suddenly, Aang wasn't there anymore.

_Who are you to think you can kill innocent people_? the Avatar asked, standing up straight.  
"You can't kill me! You aren't even supposed to be alive!" he yelled sending another blast of fire straight at the entity standing over him. It passed around the figure, dissipating into the sky.  
"_You are right._" the Avatar said. _"I will not kill you. But balance must be maintained. And those who stand below you are more than capable._"  
With that the Avatar stood, and raised its staff, bringing it down with force and blasting the warden into the crowd of people.  
The last thing Aang heard was the shriek of the warden and the crunch of bones snapping.  
_It is done._

* * *

He woke up next to Katara. He looked around, recognizing the interior of a fire nation ship, and jumped up, ready to battle.  
"Aang, calm down, we're on our way back to the mainland." She was bandaged all over and had a tightly wound wrap on her broken ribs.  
"We won?" he asked, sitting back on his bed and closing his eyes. "The everyone escaped?"  
"Yeah," she said, "We won."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, but I felt like this one had to take all the time I could get.**


	7. Book 1, Chapter 7: Blurred Boundaries

**A/N: Glad you guys have been enjoying the story, onto chapter 7. Make sure you follow the story, these are coming out pretty fast. Leave a review, they help alot and I'm always up for new suggestions. I'm taking it chapter by chapter, so any feedback will be gladly appreciated.**  
**Thanks, and see you at the end.**

* * *

**Book 1: The Return**  
**Chapter 7: Blurred Boundaries**

* * *

**Katara**

"So you're sure you guys will be okay now?" she asked, packing Appa's saddle. Haru gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.  
"I promise. You've given us hope, Katara, and its not something that will be lost so easily this time." She smiled and gave him a hug, wincing at the contact with her wounds.  
Freeing the earthbenders from the rig took a heavy toll on the young waterbender, and the few days of rest in the village were greatly appreciated. Now they were moving onward once more, and Katara couldn't help but be a little disappointed.  
Sokka was fine with it.

"On the sky-road again!" her brother yelled excitedly, climbing up Appa quickly. Aang trailed behind him, showing a little more reservation. Being the Avatar, the village had come together to see them off.  
Aang shook Haru's hand and bowed to the rest of the village.  
"I cannot say how much we can thank you for saving us, Avatar." Tsun's wife said. Aang smiled.  
"It was not me that saved you, you did that for yourself. All it took was a little persuasion." he looked at Katara, then helped her onto Appa before leaping onto the bison.  
"Head directly North, but make sure you fly around the Valley of the Dead." she said, waving goodbye.  
"Why not fly over?" the airbender asked, earning a shudder from the woman. "That place is wrong, an aberration to nature. You would do best to avoid it, especially with the solstice approaching."  
Aang nodded.  
"Yip Yip!" he cried, eliciting a cheer from the village.

Katara sat back, watching the village disappear in the distance.

* * *

**Sokka**  
"So where do you think this so called 'Valley of the Dead' is?" the warrior asked bemusedly. Aang scanned the sea of green beneath him.  
"I don't know. We'll probably be able to see it once we're beyond those hills." he motioned towards the North, where a large rock structure rose menacingly out of the trees. Aang twitched Appa's reigns, and the bison drifted to the left, hoping to make a wide berth of the Dead Valley.  
Sokka snorted, then jumped forward and sat down, pulling Appa back toward the valley.  
"What are you doing?" Aang asked, sitting back and letting Sokka take control. He'd trusted the warrior to fly the bison while he slept, so it wasn't a completely new sensation.

"You really don't think we're taking a day of a detour just because of some superstition right?" Sokka leaned back. "And besides, we're on Appa. What could possibly go wrong?"  
Aang looked at him uneasily.  
"I don't know Sokka, she seemed pretty dedicated to getting us to take the detour."  
"Who, Mai-lin?" the warrior asked.  
"Who?"  
"Mai-lin, Haru's mom?" Sokka looked at him incredulously. Aang slapped his forehead.  
"So that's her name!" he shouted.  
"Yeah, I'm thinking I'll call this one for the team." Sokka said smugly, and kept steering Appa towards the valley."  
Aang grumbled and sat back next to a sleeping Katara, brushing her and waking her up.  
"Whatsa?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.  
"Sokka decided that we'd go over the Valley." he said.  
"Valley of the Dead?" she asked.  
"So why do you think it's called the Valley of the Dead?" he asked nervously, watching the edge of the valley grow closer and closer.

"Probably just a burial ground or something." Sokka shot back.  
"But why is it so bad, and why did she mention the solstice?" Katara interjected.  
"The solstices are when the spirit world is closest to the real world," Aang started, "It's believed that during the days leading up to the solstice the line between the worlds blurs, and the two can interact."  
Sokka snorted.  
"Well I know you're the Avatar, but that sounds like a load of bull to me." Aang's eyes widened.  
"You really don't want to mess with the spirits Sokka." he stammered. Sokka looked back assuredly.  
"Don't worry, the spirits are fine with me. Soon we'll be past the dead forest and on our way." He set his shoulders, steering Appa towards the mountain.  
They came over the ridge.  
"Holy shit." Sokka mumbled, and Aang echoed the sentiment.

As far as the eye could see, the forest was blackened and dead, much like the air temple, but after so long surrounded by greenery and life it was brutal to experience. From the scorch marks along the ground, they instantly realized it.  
"Fire benders." Sokka spat.

* * *

**Aang**  
Hearing his fears articulated, Aang started to worry even more than he had.  
_Something feels wrong about this place._ Something is really wrong.  
Appa groaned uneasily.  
_He feels it too._  
As they continued to fly over the scarred earth, Aang heard something in the back of his mind, unintelligible whispers that disappeared when he focus on them too long. He began to feel a dull ache working its way through his body.  
"Guys." he mumbled, stumbling to the edge of the saddle and throwing up off the side.  
"Aang!" Katara yelled and ran to comfort him.

"Something's wrong..." he mumbled. The dull pain was becoming slowly more intense, and the whispers were back, like a thousand voices trying to contact him at once.  
"Get out of my head!" he yelled, stumbling backwards. His entire body felt like it was on fire, being slowly melted under the heat of a thousand firebenders.  
"Aang!" Katara yelled, trying to grab him.  
He couldn't hear her, the voices now a dull roar reverberating through his body, and the flames consuming him. A scream cut through the inferno.  
_NO! PLEASE! THERE ARE CHILDREN!_  
He blacked out and stumbled off of Appa, falling towards the Valley of the Dead.

* * *

**Zuko**  
The exiled prince walked slowly down the line of defeated warriors, boots clanking on the metal of the rig.  
"You mean to tell me that you let the Avatar escape?" he said deliberately, meeting the gazes of the failed soldiers with his one good eye.  
"Sir, we were outnumbered."  
Zuko turned to the first officer of the rig with a disturbing smile.  
"By a bunch of earthbenders with no earth to bend?" he asked, continuing his inspection of the soldiers.  
"They found the sources of coal. We thought we'd broken their spirit, but that water tribe girl rallied them when she was about to be executed. She and the Avatar escaped along with the earthbenders.  
Zuko's mind flashed back to that peasant girl and her brother.

_I'll be damned if I let them get away from me again._ he thought.  
"Where did these people seem to be going?" he asked, anger slowly building.  
"There is a village to the North. I wouldn't advise attempting to follow them."  
Zuko gritted his teeth.  
"And why, officer, why not?" He was trying to remain calm, and failing.  
_You must at least retain the pretense of tranquility while dealing with subordinates, prince Zuko. A calm word will do much more than a shouted threat._

"Well if Warden Hu died trying to fight the Avatar, what makes you think that you have a chance?"  
_Fuck this._

Zuko grabbed the man by his throat and lifted him off the ground.  
"I see no more reason to remain here, First Officer, and have my honor insulted by one so lowly." He squeezed the man's throat. "How far is it to this village?"  
"No more than a day's travel." the man choked.  
"Then I suggest you start traveling." he spat, and threw the man off the rig and into the ocean. He motioned to his soldiers, who did the same with the former crew.  
"Burn it all." he said, walking down the boardwalk.

He walked back down the boardwalk to where Iroh was waiting.  
"Perhaps this was not the most prudent course of action, nephew." Iroh said sagely, watching the soldiers pile barrels of blasting gel into the engine rooms of the rig. "Zhao will not be pleased when he hears of the destruction of one of his main supplying rigs."  
Zuko smiled, watching realization hit Iroh's face.  
"Nephew, it will not be prudent to anger one of the fire nation's most powerful Captains." he warned, but Zuko laughed.  
"What would he be angry at? This was done by earthbenders far before we came here. It was simply waiting to happen. We're lucky those men got off in time."

Iroh shook his head.  
"You sound like your sister."  
Zuko stared at him, then turned away and growled at the helmsman.  
"Set a course for the earth village."  
He tossed a ball of fire onto the deck, watching it ignite the oil dripping from the metal and race towards the control room.  
_I am nothing like her._  
The rig exploded.

* * *

**Aang**  
_Please! Please make it stop!_  
The world seemed to be moving in slow motion as Aang fell towards the earth. Colors blurred, sounds jumbled into an unintelligible mass, and all that remained was that screaming voice.  
_We'll do anything! Just stop!_  
He was flooded with images. Flames rising from the forest, the screams of hundreds, crying children, flesh melting under the torrent of fire.  
_Please, I don't know how to help._ he pleaded, mind slowly deteriorating under the flood of images.  
_There was too much death, too much pain._  
_I can't take it!_ he managed to get out, releasing his hold on reality and giving in to the tsunami of pain.

"Aang!"  
Katara. he thought, trying to fight back.  
"Aang grab on!"  
_She doesn't want a failure like you, Avatar. It is best to let yourself slowly exit the world._  
The voice was soothing, and Aang almost believed it.  
"Aang grab my hand!"  
_It is so simple, just close your eyes and you can atone for what you've let happen. The world needs a new Avatar._  
He was tackled by Katara, and snapped out of his trance for long enough to realize she'd jumped out of the saddle and they were now tumbling towards the forest even faster than before.  
_The world needs me!_

He regained consciousness long enough to bend the air around them, slowing their fall to a more manageable speed.  
_Manageable being the key word._ he thought, passing out.

* * *

**Iroh**  
_What a lovely village._  
As he made his way through the town square, Iroh couldn't help but marvel at how quickly a group of people could change.  
_Hope grows like a beanstalk,_ he thought, _and is incredibly hard to destroy._  
He made his way to a shop, intending to utilize this break to the fullest. The past three years had been an adventure, but Iroh loved nothing more than the simple pleasures of life.

He perused the shelves, pausing to bow at the lovely shopkeeper.  
"How have things been in these parts?" he asked. "Surely a woman as lovely and skilled as yourself would have a great business." he motioned towards the pottery hanging on the walls.  
He had been sent here to gain information on the Avatar, as Zuko thought an old man would be less intimidating and easily recognized than a scarred prince, but Iroh saw no harm in enjoying his job.  
The woman smiled shyly.

"Not as well as you might think," she said. "People have recently started coming back now that the fire nation is gone." Iroh feigned ignorance.  
"What happened?" he asked.  
"Well a few days ago the Avatar showed up. Can you believe it? The Avatar himself!" Iroh's mouth opened in shock.  
"Surely not here! What was he doing in such a beautiful, peaceful town?"  
"Well at first he was just passing through, but when he and his companions discovered the fire nation occupation they freed us. Now we have hope once more! All thanks to them."  
Iroh smiled.  
"Where did they go from here?" he asked.  
"You just missed them. They headed North from here, in the direction of the Valley of the Dead. Why do you want to know?"  
Iroh shrugged indiferently  
"Just an old man's curiosity."

_Crack!_  
Iroh's entire body was suddenly enveloped in a rock that erupted through the floor of the shop. The door crashed open, revealing a group of earth kingdom soldiers.  
"Gentlemen, meet the Dragon of the West."

* * *

**Sokka**  
"What the hell were you thinking?!" he whispered angrily.  
After Aang's breakdown and Katara's little stunt, they had decided to make camp for the night.  
Which came surprisingly quickly.

One moment it had been bright outside, and the next almost impossible to see the world around them.  
"We needed to save Aang." Katara shot back, stretching her still aching back. Aang had taken the brunt of the fall, and was still passed out on the ground.  
"By hurling yourself off a skybison in freefall?" he asked, eyebrow raised. She glared in his direction and then turned away.  
Note to self, sarcasm much less effective in the dark.  
"Well since we're going to spend the night in this blackened wasteland, I'm gonna start a fire." He ripped a branch off a tree and started to break it down into smaller pieces.  
Katara looked at him uneasily.

"This whole place was destroyed by firebenders Sokka, don't you think its a little disrespectful."  
He snorted.  
"You and Aang are in the same boat with all this superstitious crap. I will be fine." he said, and sparked the fire with flint and steel. The crackling of the fire caused Aang to stir.  
"...Nn... N...No..." he moaned in his sleep.  
"What is it Aang?" Katara asked, walking over to him and kneeling down.  
"...no fire... please..."  
"It's fine Aang," Sokka shot back, "It won't hurt you."  
"...it won't... but... they will..."  
"Who Aang?" Katara asked.  
"They...They're..."  
"Damn it Aang!" Sokka shouted. "What is it?"  
"They're here!" Aang shouted, jumping up onto his feet and motioning to the edge of the firelight.  
A thousand pairs of eyes stared back at them.

* * *

**Aang**  
_You must atone for your sins._ the voice rang through his mind.  
_I'm atoning all the time! Every second of every day is spent trying to make this right!_ he pleaded, looking around.  
_It is not enough. You must feel the pain of losing the ones you love._ he sensed a change in the mass around him.  
_No. Please, no! Don't take them!_ he pleaded.  
_It will not last long, Avatar. Soon you will join them._  
The spirits attacked.

A wall of semi-transparent people rushed into the clearing, all with horrible burn marks, lost limbs, and a strange blue tint that made Aang shudder.  
Sokka drew his club, but was smothered by the spirits before he could move. Katara quickly joined him, held down by the ranks of the restless dead.  
Aang punched the ground, clearing a crater around himself and looking for his friends.  
"Aang!" Sokka's voice rang out from beyond the clearing, and the airbender leapt into action.  
"I'm coming Sokka!"  
He flew after the warrior on his glider, sweeping through the trees with reckless abandon. Somehow, Sokka's voice was getting fainter and fainter.

"Aang! Help!" Katara echoed around him as well, and he turned towards the voice.  
And smashed directly into a tree.

In a daze, he stumbled to his feet, listening to the screams of his friends, of his only family, disappear into the night.  
_I will make the end quick._ the voice said, and Aang felt the horde close around him.  
_Maybe they're right, maybe it is time to let the cycle continue._ he thought, hanging his head.  
Then he heard beating wings.  
His eyes drifted upward, meeting with a blue flash, that came crashing down around him.  
The dragon bellowed a challenge to the world.

A few of the dead attempted to reach Aang still, but the beast whipped its tail in a circle, sending them flying.  
_We will be back Avatar_, it said in an echoing feminine voice, and the spirits disappeared.  
Aang turned to face his savior, coming face to face with the dragon.  
It was huge, its snakelike body wrapping around the entire clearing. Aang looked around, eyes going past the spiked tail, ridged back, powerful legs, and finally coming to a stop on the large triangular head of the dragon. It glowed a sort of half-blue, but its eyes rippled with fire.  
Trying to remember proper conduct for interacting with the world's most powerful firebenders, he bowed his head in recognition.

"It is truly an honor."  
The dragon blinked once, and then bowed its head in return.  
"But why are you here? Why did you save me?" He asked.  
The dragon lowered its head down to Aang's and touched the airbender's forehead.

_Aang was on the dragon's back, watching the attack on the valley play out beneath them. Tens of thousands of firebenders approached from every angle, descending on the relatively peaceful people of the valley. He had heard them before, but now he knew what they meant._  
_"Please Stop! We have children!"_  
_The ruthless warriors continued without a second thought. They turned the world to ash, approaching in an ever closing ring around the remaining survivors. The dragon flew down amongst the people, hovering right above a young girl who was talking to her parents._  
_"Xiu-xiu, my darling, you must go to the spirit tree and ask for her guidance and protection." The father kissed his daughter goodbye, then brought his crying wife to the door and out into the ash filled sky._  
_The girl ran towards the center of the forest, stopping a small clearing in the middle of the forest, and approached a small tree surrounded by water. She ran to the tree, watching the flames grow closer, and put her hand to its bark. _  
_The girl started to glow, even more than the surrounding flames, and took on the blue tint like the people that attacked her family. She began to step forward, to step into the tree, in the attempt to at least ease her people's passing._  
_And was hit with a fireball._  
_Aang gasped as she collapsed, the spirit tree going slowly up in flames. But he couldn't turn away, knowing he had inadvertently caused this._  
_When he blinked the world was gone, leaving behind the blackened husk he recognized from present day. The spirit tree was burnt and blackened, and he could feel the pain of the thousands starting to hit him again. Sensing Aang's discomfort, the dragon took off into the sky, flying faster and faster until the world was a blur._  
_"Where are you taking me now?" Aang asked. "There's nothing there but Fire Nation." _  
_The dragon continued flying stopping above a crescent shaped island._  
_Aang looked down, starting to sense a familiar presence. The dragon descended toward a temple on the top of the island, flying straight through the roof and into a huge open room. At the end was a statue of Roku, a sunbeam hitting the ground to his right._  
_The dragon motioned towards Roku's statue, then towards the sunbeam._  
_"The sunbeam hits Roku?" he asked, then he had a realization._  
_"The sunbeam hits Roku on the solstice, and since that's when the spirit world is closest to ours and I can talk to Roku!" he said excitedly. The dragon blinked at him, then touched his forehead again._

Aang woke to the feeling of sun on his face, and slowly opened his eyes.  
_What happened?_  
He looked around, searching for Katara and Sokka. Nothing.  
_So it actually happened._  
He stood up, resolved to do whatever it took to free his friends.  
_Even if it kills me._  
He racked his mind for the location of the spirit tree.  
Must be in the center of the forest. he thought, and leapt into the sky.  
_I'm coming guys._

* * *

**Iroh**  
_Well this is most certainly an adventure._ he thought, rustling against his shackles.  
After being so rudely interrupted in the earth kingdom village, he had been handcuffed and thrown over the back of an ostrich-horse, and told he was going to pay for his crimes.  
_You are not the first person to tell me I will pay. If there is anything my nephew is, it is persistent. _  
Sighing, Iroh attempted to strike up a conversation with his captors.  
"How did you find me?" he said amiably, directing it at the leader of the group. The man ignored him, digging his heels into his mount.  
"We saw the explosion on the rig, and tracked you down from there." The man in front of Iroh had spoken.  
"Ah yes, It was quite the show." Iroh chuckled, eliciting a slight laugh from the man in front of him.

"Well I hope you enjoyed it, because I'm afraid you won't be seeing many shows in prison." The man seemed legitimately concerned.  
"Oh, don't worry about me." Iroh said, "An old man such as myself can really grow to enjoy the structured life of solitude and peace in a prison cell."  
The man in front of him laughed again.  
"You say that like you've been there before."  
Iroh gave an incredulous gasp.  
"Oh surely you can not think I haven't ever been captured before, right? I have spent almost as much time in various stages of capture as I have out." Iroh let out a hearty laugh.  
"But as for now I am enjoying your company, and see no reason to be unruly as we head for... Where are we headed again? I see we are at a crossroads."  
The soldier looked back at him uneasily, then steered down a path.  
"We're going towards Ba Sing Se. We'll be in the valley of the dead by nightfall."  
Iroh looked at him suspiciously.  
"Surely you are fooling an old man. It is folly to even attempt a crossing during the day, much less spend the night there!"  
"Captain's orders." the man deadpanned.  
Iroh groaned.  
"I pray for all of us then."

* * *

**Zuko**  
He jumped off of his ostrich-horse, scanning the ground at the crossroads.  
_How could I let him be captured? How could he let himself be capture?_  
The firebender shook his head, then spotted something on the ground farther up the path. His uncle's sandal. He glanced at the road sign, shuddering when he realized the direction the earthbenders had taken Iroh. His uncle had warned him about trifling with the spirit world.  
_The Valley of the Dead. We are not welcome there._  
But he would never let Iroh be captured, not after all the man had done for him.  
He set off down the path, signalling his men to follow.

* * *

**Iroh**  
The sun was sinking below the horizon as they finally crested the mountain leading into the Dead Valley.  
_Restless Spirits, I pay homage to your souls as I pass. Have mercy on the one who wishes nothing more than to allow you to rest. I regret the actions of my people and wish to make amends. Forgive an old man._  
Iroh spoke up to the man in front of him.  
"I know your captain does not believe this is a bad decision, but I suggest you pray for forgiveness for entering the valley. The spirits do not take kindly to trespassing."  
The man nodded, and closed his eyes and began mouthing words.  
Iroh shook his head.  
_They most certainly do not take well to trespassing._  
In his introspection he almost missed the blue flash that zipped past him. Iroh gasped, recoiling away and falling onto the ground. He shakily got to his feet, looking down the path that the blue flash had taken.

It was coming back, approaching slowly this time. Even through the barrier between worlds Iroh felt what was approaching.  
_They are supposed to be dead._ he mused, watching the glowing beast fly towards him, but never bet against a dragon.  
The ethereal creature flew a circle around him, landing in front of Iroh.  
"It is truly an honor to be in your presence." he said, bowing.  
The dragon bowed low, and Iroh heard a voice in his mind.  
_It is an honor as well, Dragon of the West._  
"What the hell is he doing?!" the captain barked, jumping off his ostrich-horse and kicking Iroh's legs out from under him.  
_Only say the word and they shall perish, Dragon._  
The dragon stood poised for battle, unseen by the men.  
"No, it is fine. Where they are going they face a much worse fate." Iroh coughed, as he was flung back onto the mount.  
_Very well. Agni give you strength._  
"And you, great one."  
The dragon glanced at the men walking around its feet and took off once more, disappearing into the sky in a cloud of bluish fire.  
"What the hell are you rambling about old man?" The captain said, and continued onward.

* * *

**Aang**  
_There it is, the spirit tree, and hopefully Sokka and Katara._  
He landed, weary from flying all day looking for this one spot. He glanced westward, watching the sun dip slowly downward.  
_Almost time._  
He walked up to the tree, leaping over the charred, blackened riverbed. The limbs cracking and mangled, his mind flashed back to the image of the beautiful green tree. The spirits would arise at sunset, so he would have to move fast to avoid them. Something told him that Roku's dragon wouldn't be there to protect him this time.  
_But what will protect me? I'm going up against a legion of restless spirits led by the guardian of the forest. How am I supposed to beat that._  
He could only hope that his plan would work.  
The sun was halfway past the edge of the valley, and Aang turned to watch as it slowly disappeared from sight, leaving the valley in utter darkness.  
Until the spirits rose.

Suddenly, Aang was surrounded by the spirits again, and this time they seemed angrier than ever. Dodging the first group that tried to grab him, he leapt to the tree, putting his hand to it like the dragon had done to him.  
Everything stopped.  
Aang closed his eyes, feeling the blackened tree for any sign of life or spirit left inside.  
_There's something there._  
His eyes began to glow, and he could feel a life force trapped inside the husk of the tree.  
_Here goes nothing._ he thought, and gave in to the Avatar spirit, pouring all his power into the tree, just trying to free whatever was trapped inside.

He awoke on the ground next to Katara and Sokka, with a massive headache.  
_Arise Avatar._ It was a similar voice from before, the guardian spirit, but now it had the voice of a young girl layered over it.  
"Where are you?" he asked, turning around, searching, "I can hear you but I can't see you."  
_I am everywhere Avatar. I am the voice of the forest. But if your human side would rather not talk to the trees, then only look in front of you._  
Aang looked down in front of him, watching the blue-tinted outline of a little girl appear. Her features benevolent and pretty but still damaged from flames long gone.

"Xiu-Xiu?" he asked incredulously. "How did all of this happen?"  
_Patience, Avatar. The village that you saw had one final defense against attack, which you saw. The people of the valley are bound to the land, and as such, we worked together to protect each other. If anything happened, one of the chosen few needed only to commune with the guardian spirit and unleash the power of the forest upon the invaders. But the most delicate part of the ritual was interrupted, trapping us together within the tree. When the villagers died, they were unable to pass on to the spirit world, bound by the fragmented spirit bridge, and were destined to spend eternity walking the wasteland that used to be their home. But, as the bridge between worlds, you were able to reestablish the connection, allow the villagers to move on and rest in peace._  
"But what about you? What about Xiu-Xiu?"  
_She and I are one now, the guardian of the forest._  
"But what if firebenders come again?"  
_Some of the spirits chose to stay behind as sentinels, watchers in the night. They will prevent any strangers from entering, to protect their home. The villagers were always close to the land, and protecting it is a great honor._  
Aang nodded, and bowed.  
"I am truly sorry that I allowed this to happen." Aang mumbled.  
_You have righted the wrong, Avatar. I must be going, the Valley is being intruded upon._  
"Are you sure I can't help?" Aang asked anxiously.  
_We will be fine, Avatar._  
And with that, she disappeared.

"mmmm what happened?" Katara and Sokka said in unison.  
Aang leapt straight into the air at the sound of the water tribers' voices.  
"GUYS!"  
"What happened?" Katara mumbled, standing up.  
"Yeah," Sokka agreed, lying on the ground, "Last I remember we were getting carried away and-"  
"Long story, tell you later, right now gotta find Appa!" Aang said, flying up into the sky and yelling.  
"APPPPPAAAAAAAAAAAA".  
He was met by Appa's groan, as the bison playfully crashed into Aang, licking him.

"You're okay buddy! I thought you were a goner!"  
"Aang, what's going on?" Katara shouted.  
Aang dropped to the ground.  
"Well, you guys were taken to the spirit world, and then I went on a journey with a spirit dragon, and talked to a spirit, and fought off restless souls and fixed a tree and now we've got to go to the fire nation."  
"WHAT?!" Sokka shouted, and Aang took a deep breath.  
"So it all started when we landed..."

* * *

**Zuko**  
He could tell that they were getting close.  
They'd been pushing their mounts to the limit all day long, only stopping to pay respect to the spirits of the forest before entering.  
One man had ridiculed him for kneeling and paying respect to a dead piece of land.  
_Well technically we didn't need to leave him as bait, but it never hurts to be sure..._  
With skeptics out of the way, they sped through the trees, making sure to leave as little damage as possible.  
Iroh had a strong influence on this group.  
"There!" someone whispered, pointing to a light in the distance.  
Zuko dismounted.  
"We're going to go in, retrieve my uncle, and then get out. I don't want to risk a hostage situation."  
_Not that Iroh would be in danger._

He picked 3 men, and snuck close under the cover of the night.  
There were 15 earthbenders surrounding the fire, not even bothering to post guards.  
_Fools, how are they going to prevent an attack when we have stealth on our side without any guards?_

He heard a twig snap and froze, drawing his swords and turning to deal death to the offender.  
But no one had moved.  
Slowly, Zuko turned in a circle, watching the darkness for any sign of danger.  
_It is best not to threaten the spirits._  
"Drop your weapons." he hissed, throwing his swords to the ground.  
"What?" his men asked.  
"Drop them!" he whispered, and the men did.  
A chill ran through Zuko, and the soldiers shivered.  
"I think we made it."  
The earthbenders weren't so lucky.

* * *

**Iroh**  
_They were coming._  
He had been gagged after his long conversation with the young man, and wasn't able to warn the men when he saw the legion of warriors appear just beyond the firelight.  
Not that he would have anyway.  
Grunting at the young soldier, who had drawn his weapon, he shook his head.  
The man dropped his spear on the ground.  
The rest erupted in blood.

It was over before it even started, a horde of warriors sweeping down on the camp without mercy.  
It must be terrifying, Iroh thought, before feeling his bonds cut loose.  
"Zuko!" Iroh gasped, jumping up onto his feet.  
"Uncle." the prince contained a smile.  
"I am most glad that you came for me, nephew." he said, giving Zuko a bow of respect.  
"I am too, although it cost me my chance at getting the Avatar." Zuko growled.  
"Oh, do not be so sure," Iroh said slyly, "for though we do not know where they are, I know where they are going."  
Zuko stared at him incredulously.  
"We may be going home."

* * *

**A/N: Thus ends part 1 of the Spirit World. Went a little bit off the story this chapter, which I may be doing a little bit more. If you guys need me to stay close to the actual story I'll do so, but i prefer taking my own path.**


End file.
